CHENNAI : The public consultation meeting held ahead of the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the restoration of the Buckingham canal had everything in place- officials from almost every line department involved, an air-conditioned conference room in a private hotel in the city for the presentation, timely tea and a scrumptious lunch. Everything was there except the people who stand to be affected by the project.
The meeting was held at 11 am on Friday. The day being a weekday, the fact that no public volunteers participated in the meeting comes as no surprise. Moreover, notifications of the programme were circulated only a day earlier. As the final nail in the coffin, families living along the canal claimed they were not informed of the meeting.
The consultation was organised by the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Ltd (TNUIFSL) and the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT) along with consultants for the project NSS Associates, Hyderabad. “We did not know that such a meeting took place. We were not informed of it,” said G Dhurvasan, who resides on the Walltax Road.
The consultants, in the interim report, had suggested as a preliminary recommendation relocation of the families living within the revenue boundaries in the area. According to the enumeration by the consultants, 26,100 families were living along the canal, but none of them participated in the meeting.
“As far as the revenue parts of the canal are concerned, if there is an encroachment, the first option would be relocation with proper provisions. It’s a policy decision in the end,” said Subramanian, MD of NSS Associates.
The meeting comprised nearly 30 members most of whom were government officials from CRRT, TNUIFSL, Greater Chennai Corporation, Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewage Board. With no members of the public present throughout the meeting and with merely five minutes left for its conclusion, three students of Vivekananda College, residing in nearby Lala Thottam in Mylapore near the hotel where the meeting was held, were brought to the meeting.
“We reside nearby. We don’t know what exactly the meeting is about; one sir from here came and called us and so, we came,” said one of the boys who did not want to be named. Activities at a total estimate of `615 crore including `15 crore for public awareness and public participation were proposed by the consultant at the meeting. The estimate included `37 crore for desilting and `22 crore for solid waste management in the canal.
According to a government official who was also present at the meeting, more number of people at the meeting resulted in shifting of the focus from real issues. “There are several land sharks and other people who use the meeting for pushing their own agenda and creating a ruckus,” said the official.
Another official said that invitations were circulated from their end but there was no public participation.
Plans to give river a new life
Solid waste management
Rs 22.28 crore
Desilting
Rs 37.41 crore
Restoration of Buckingham canal and associated drainage systems
Rs 393.15 crore
Demarcation and protection of canals and drainage systems
Rs 10 crore
Activities carried out in the areas where the canal drains into the ocean
Rs 8 crore
Green pastures and other associated activities
Rs 40 crore
Public awareness and public participation
Rs 15 crore
Development of surrounding areas
Rs 3 crore
Providing alternative routes for blockages
Rs 82 crore