CHENNAI: Adding to the discrepancies in flood mitigation projects being implemented in the metropolitan area, the Chennai Corporation and the Public Works Department have issued separate tenders for the same cut-and-cover project in S Kolathur near Pallikaranai.
Last year, the PWD had chalked out a plan for 1,775 metres of ‘cut-and-cover’ drains from the Narayanapuram Lake to the Pallikaranai marshland. It issued an Rs 20-crore short-term tender for the project on September 20 this year. However, just four days later, the Corporation awarded Rs 8.5-crore tender for construction of 1,00 metres of ‘cut-and-cover’ drains along Ram Nagar Extension 13th Street and commenced work.
It is learned that the 1,000-metre-stretch the Corporation has begun work on is part of the PWD’s project that it had issued tender for. “The Corporation will be implementing that component of the project,” conceded a PWD official, explaining the PWD would construct the ‘cut-and-cover’ drain on the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam radial road, which is the other component of the project.
This arrangement where the Corporation is funding a section of the project that already has funding from the PWD has raised eyebrows of residents. “This clearly shows that either of the two government departments is going to swindle funds,” said a local resident association leader, claiming the damage caused by the monsoon to the little progress that has been made will help cover up the duplication of the project.
“The Corporation has taken up the stretch on priority because the stretch is a densely populated residential area,” said a top Corporation official, explaining the project is being funded by the Chennai Mega City Development Mission and that the PWD might use the excess funds to work on other projects.
When asked why the Corporation is implementing a section of the PWD’s project with separate funding, PWD special chief engineer for lower Palar basin M Mani claimed that the `20-crore project is limited to the construction of ‘cut-and-cover’ drain on the link road. “Any further addition for the project will be carried out only if the government sanctions funds,” he said.
However, the PWD’s Pallikaranai swamp link channel map clearly indicates that the cut-and-cover drains being constructed by the Corporation are indeed a component of the PWD project which proposes 1775 metres of drains. Activists have lashed out at the discrepancies in PWD’s claims, and have also called attention to the Corporation’s swift commencement of work.
Estimates differ
Going by what the PWD engineer says, the PWD would be diverting `20 crore for constructing a meagre 700-metre of ‘cut-and-cover’ drain while the Corporation will be constructing over 1000 metres for just `8.5 crore