CHENNAI: Stormwater drain projects being undertaken in various parts of the city will be completed by September, said Minister for Municipal Administration and Water Supply KN Nehru on Friday.
Addressing the press, the minister said, 32 per cent of the SWD work undertaken under the Singara Chennai 2.0 in areas like Seethamal Colony, GST Road, Bazullah Road, Rajamannar Salai, Ajeez Nagar and Ripon Building have been completed.
As part of the project, 12 per cent of the 20-km drain work costing Rs 73 crore have been completed in Pulianthope, Adayar, Broadway, and Ambedkar Salai.
Similarly, 14 per cent and 40 per cent of work taken up under the flood mitigation fund and infrastructure and amenities fund has also been completed. In Kosasthalaiyar basin, 28 per cent work has been completed and for Kovalam basin, work orders were issued a week ago, he added.
Asked about the delay in the work, Nehru said all work is being done by a single contractor and this is causing the delay. "There are only a few eligible contractors and we are addressing that issue," he added.
An IAS officer and engineer have been appointed in each zone. We have calculated how much work should be completed each day and the review is conducted once every three days. Thirupugazh committee has also given suggestions about the work.
Rainwater harvesting structures are also being built and existing ones are being desilted. A total of 834 trees have been identified and over 500 branches have been pruned so far. We have also instructed to send the silt to the dump yards immediately and also record the weight, he added.
He also inspected laying of pedestrian pathways and various other work. Health Minister Ma Subramanian, Minister for Rural Industries TM Anbarasan and other officials were present.