Chennai suburban areas to get world class roads

Chennai

The extended areas of the Chennai Corporation will soon get world class civic amenities as the local body has approved Rs 182 crore for the development of integrated roads there.

Mayor Saidai Duraisamy, who made this announcement at Wednesday’s civic council meet, said the proposed roadgrid system would be constructed with integrated streetlights, street furniture, footpaths, ducts, parking space and stormwater drains in the eight newly-added zones. “The works will be completed before the rains. This project will also ensure the development of roads in a planned and integrated manner,” Duraisamy said.

The mayor announced that this would be the first phase of the Rs 333-crore Chennai Mega City Development Mission, which is expected to be completed within six months. “The second phase of the works with the remaining Rs 151.21 crore will be announced in the next council meet in the first week of May,” he said. Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructural Financial Services Limited is the nodal agency for the Chennai Mega City Development Mission. Last year, 42 local bodies were merged with the Chennai Corporation increasing the area from 174 sqkm to 426 sqkm.

In August last, the state government allocated Rs 500 crore for civic and Metrowater projects. Of the Rs 333.27 crore, Rs 308 crore was allocated by the state government and remaining Rs 25.2 crore from the civic body.

Corporation sources said the proposed grid system will cover 360 roads (175.36km) and consist of 31 different packages of Rs 10 crore each, which would be implemented at the zonal level. A package means that four-five roads in an area will be developed in the integrated grid system. However, the council has approved only 16 packages so far.

Experts were of the opinion that traffic congestion may ease after the project. However, the ongoing metro work might hamper its implementation. Raj Cherubal of Chennai City Connect, a NGO that takes up transport issues, said the proposed road-grid system will improve the city’s road standards.

He said better coordination among civic agencies would increase the lifespan of the roads. “There was no understanding between the civic agencies. For example, a newly constructed road by the civic body might be damaged by Metrowater while laying a pipeline. But this integrated network would solve all such problems,” he said.

Source: The Times of India, Chennai