Corporation begins work on T Nagar Pedestrian plaza
Bhoomi pooja was performed near the Thyagaraya Road – Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Salai junction, to begin work on the T Nagar pedestrian plaza as part of the Smart City project.
The project, estimated at ₹33.80 crore will include an exclusive pedestrian pathway for senior citizens, children and differently-abled people. Other facilities include children’s play area, upgraded toilet facilities, resting places for shoppers and pedestrians, decorative lamps, fountains and crossing area.
Speaking to News Today, a senior official of Chennai Corporation said, “as part of Smart City project, work is already under progress at various parks in T Nagar and on a multi-level parking facility at Pondy Bazaar area. Pedestrian Plaza work will also be commenced simultaneously and will be implemented as per schedule”.
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Delay in completion of Storm Water Drain project irks Mylapore residents
Residents near the Sanskrit college junction of P S Sivaswamy Salai in Mylapore woke up one day last week to a unique situation – of not being able to find a way out of their homes. Literally. Greater Chennai Corporation had dug up huge pits outside their houses overnight.
Sources said this was for a storm water drain (SWD) project, permission for which which had been obtained after ‘special sanction’, and was being constructed by the bus route roads (BRR) department of GCC.
While residents welcomed the move of the SWD project, what irked them was the lack of communication.
“This is very troublesome for senior citizens. People who have another opening to their house may not have an issue, but what about those for whom there is only one,” said M Chandrasekar, who has been a resident of the street for 27 years.
Further shock was in store – two houses in the locality caved in.
“On Monday night, the staircase leading to one of the houses caved in because of the work. On Tuesday morning, the front portion of the second house suffered the same fate,” said B Neelakandan, secretary, Vivekanandapuram Residents Welfare Association.
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Villivakkam lake to get a facelift
The much awaited eco restoration work on the Villivakkam lake finally took off, after a 3 year delay. According to Greater Chennai Corporation sources, the project was a brainchild of former CM Jayalalithaa and she had plans to beautify the major water bodies in Greater Chennai.
The sprawling lake spread over 36.50 acres and located adjacent to the thickly populated Sidco Nagar in Villivakkam is slated to to be renovated by GCC at a cost of ₹16 crore. The civic body has proposed to install bio-filters, floating wetland system and online sensors to monitor the water quality on a regular basis.
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Areas adjoining Koyambedu to get a infrastructure boost
The congested Koyambedu area, which is the major transport location connecting all parts of the state by bus, is set to get an infra boost with wider roads and better pedestrian facilities. The CMDA has commissioned a study to understand the issues and propose solutions to this heavy traffic location. Based on the study, civic agencies such as Greater Chennai Corporation will start widening roads and develop modern pedestrian facilities in at least 6.98 sq km of the area covering Arumbakkam, Nerkundram and Koyambedu.
The area that will receive a makeover is spread across Wards number 105 (Arumbakkam) in Anna Nagar Zone, ward number 127 (Koyambedu) of Kodambakkam Zone, and ward number 145 (Nerkundram) of Valasaravakkam Zone. “We are planning to include more junctions in addition to those in these three wards. So the area that will receive a makeover will increase,” said an official.
This is the first time such a study has been done for any neighbourhood in the city, officials said.
The area has a population of 1.28 lakh and 29,506 households.
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Respite from traffic snarls, frequent lane changes soon as Anna Salai to resume two-way traffic
Ever since the construction of underground metro began on the Anna Salai stretch, it has been obstacles course for motorists and pedestrians – lack of pedestrian crossings, traffic snarls, change of lanes, severely damaged roads that sometime caved in, causing panic among the people. All that will soon come to an end as work on the Chennai Metro is nearing completion on this stretch.
With work on in full swing, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd officials expect the wait to last less than a month. The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety is slated to inspect the line between May 14 and 16. After the line gets the go-ahead, the officials said, the traffic police will restore two-way traffic on the corresponding stretch of Anna Salai.
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