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NT Bureau
Chennai, Sept 24:
 

Incomplete civic work  on Ranganathan Street

        The monsoon may not have unleashed its fury on the metropolis as yet but those who have been to Ranganathan Street may be feeling otherwise. Tardy progress in the construction work of a stormwater drain has left shopkeepers and shoppers high and dry. The recent rain has added to the woes.

        After learning some hard lessons from the flooding in recent years, the city Corporation has embarked on removing silt from canals and is carrying out repair to stormwater drains.

        Mayor M Subramanian inaugurated the work on construction of stormwater drain for about 405 metres in Ranganathan Street recently. The progress and quality of work have hardly been convincing for many.

        A heavily- clogged canal in the street had led to stagnation and tough times for shoppers. The initial efforts to remove silt from the stormwater drains succeeded only marginally and the Corporation had to think of a major project to improve the infrastructure. The contractors were given six months to complete it but some of them have not shown the required progress.

        The dumping of waste into the drains and the crumbling infrastructure have led to the flooding of low-lying areas during heavy rain, says Venkatesan, a long-time resident of Natesan Street.

        A major drawback is that these incidents of flooding brought into sharp focus of poor maintenance or even abuse of stormwater drains. In some areas, the drains have not been provided at all. Dumping of garbage into waterways and the stormwater drains proved to be one of the reasons for the problem, he adds.

        According to Corporation officials, concrete surface of the street had to be broken using special equipment to construct the drains. The work is being carried out from midnight till 5 a.m when there is not much activity.

        The cost of the project is estimated at around Rs 34.70 lakh. Debris is cleared then and there. The dumping of vegetable waste into the canal had obstructed flow of rainwater. The drain works will be carried out only after clearing about 12 tonnes of garbage.

        The Corporation had to achieve many things. Firstly, it has to remove encroachment from the stormwater drains beginning from the end points. There is a need to speed up the work so that they are completed before the monsoon sets in.