Urban News

The Deccan Chronicle  28.10.2010

Oct. 27: Though government departments are pointing fingers at each other for the departure in the proposed alignment of MRTS phase-II extension, from Velachery to St Thomas Mount, it is the more than 70 residences in Jeevan Nagar, Thillai Ganga Nagar and Tiruvalluvar Nagar that are in peril.

They are bound to face demolition any time due to Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and Metropolitan Transport Project (MTP) departing from the proposed alignment. CMDA claims that the change is due to the highways department making an alteration during the construction of the inner ring road (IRR). As per the documents obtained by Deccan Chronicle, the highways department has denied any change in the original alignment.

During an authority meeting on April 9, 2010, under the chairpersonship of CMDA vice–chairperson, the highways department was blamed for deviating from the original alignment recommended by consultant RITES in 1989 and subsequently in 2000. As per the recommendation, the MRTS elevated alignment is supposed to run at the central median of IRR from Velachery up to Thillai Ganga Nagar subway and then deviate from the IRR, crossing the existing railway lines and afterwards running parallel to the suburban lines. Citing the deviations made by the highways department at the authority meeting on May 28, 2010, MTP proposed a new alignment.

However, a reply for an RTI enquiry from the highways department states that IRR work has been carried without deviation. Ironically, in a letter to the chief engineer of MTP in March 2010, the member-secretary of CMDA pointed out that the project should be implemented without any deviation. Nonetheless, MTP and CMDA are planning to go ahead with the changed alignment due to deviations in IRR.

“We believe that the original alignment, that was to go through poromboke land in a flood water canal, was changed to help the encroachers. If the project moves ahead with the revised plans, then more than 70 residences and hundreds of people will get affected. There are people who have been living here for more than 20 years and people who have invested their entire earnings in their property. The government should set up an independent body to investigate the claims of the government bodies before going ahead with the project,” said Mr Lakshmi Narasimhan, general secretary of Jeevan Nagar and Thillai Ganga nagar residents’ welfare association. Both CMDA and MTP officials refused comment when contacted.