The Hindu             20.06.2013

Civic body keen on public opinion for new flyovers

The Chennai Corporation will step up efforts to increase participation in the public consultation of proposed flyovers.

The next such meeting for upcoming flyovers in Mandaveli and Sterling Road will have better participation of residents, said an official of the Chennai Corporation.

“We will ask Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Ltd. (TNUIFSL) to give better publicity for the next public consultation,” said the official. The decision on the next public consultation is likely to be taken at the review committee meeting to be held shortly.

The civic body had publicised the mobile number of the consultant concerned for collection of opinions from residents on the proposed flyovers at Kotturpuram and Arcot Road.

“But very few people contacted the consultant. Only two calls were received in the past few days,” said an official associated with the project.

The consultant will guide the residents to give their suggestions in writing. “The residents who called only enquired about land acquisition. Suggestions on improvement of facilities were few. Around 60 feedback forms were received at the public consultation,” said the official.

The consultant will also compile the audio and video recordings of public consultations.

The civic body is likely to expand two flyovers based on the first public consultation held last week. The structures are expected to ease congestion around the junctions of Arcot Salai-K.K. Nagar 80-feet Road and Gandhi Mandapam Salai-Ponniamman Koil Salai in Kotturpuram.

Residents at the public consultation voiced their concerns on existing designs, pointing to local factors in their neighbourhood that would make them unviable. However, there were few valid suggestions, an official said. Corporation officials said the proposed flyover in Kotturpuram, estimated to cost Rs. 76 crore, will reduce waiting time at the junction to 30 seconds from the current 136 seconds.

The proposed flyover at Arcot Salai-K.K. Nagar 80-feet Road junction is likely to be redesigned to extend over a stretch of 2.6 km. Mayor Saidai Duraisamy, last year, had proposed to conduct feasibility studies for construction of flyovers at the junctions of Arcot Salai in Saligramam and K.K. Nagar 80-feet Road, the Mandaiveli junction near the Mandaiveli bus stand, Bharathi Salai and Royapettah Clock Tower junction, and the junction of Gandhi Mandapam Salai and Ponniamman Koil Salai in Kotturpuram.

A study on a similar facility at the junction of Bharathi Salai and Royapettah Clock Tower, however, did not take off due to traffic diversions in place for Metro Rail work.