Chennai: The storm water drain project in East Avenue Road in Korattur, funded by Asian Development Bank, has remained sluggish for the past month. This has affected commuters on the stretch due to bad roads and traffic.Though the ₹39 crore worth project in the stretch was launched in March this year, it is part of the ₹3,220-crore ADB-funded stormwater drain network project launched by the AIADMK govt in 2021 and later taken forward by the DMK regime. The project was meant to build 769km of drains in Thiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram and Ambattur zones, all draining into the Kosasthalaiyar River basin. The works have been carried out in bits and pieces across several parts of the city over the past five years..The project, to connect East Avenue Road to Otteri Nullah, runs for about 200m along the road, carrying the Ambattur surplus water and draining it into the Otteri Nullah’s zero point near the Villivakkam Lake via the Chennai-Tiruvallur highway.However, the cut-and-cover drain works, happening in the centre median, is now going on for months without any progress. While about 80% of the stretch has been completed, work near the CTH Road junction was yet to be finished. This has shrunk the narrow two-lane stretch further as about three to four metres of the stretch has been taken up.The project has also left the wavy and uneven, more like a slope, on one side. The stretch leading to the CTH Road is below the lane on the opposite side. “The work is sluggish during noon hours. They should expedite it, and relay the road evenly. Currently, two wheelers lose balance as the road feels like a slope. During peak hours, kids in cycles too stumble in the potol-laden road,” said S Kavi, who lives in Mannurpet, a nearby neighbourhood, along the CTH Road. Residents also petitioned officials to restore the zero point of Otteri Nullah, and also throw open the Villivakkam Lake, near the Padi grade-separator.GCC commissioner G S Sameeran said it is part of an integrated storm water drain network to reduce the hydraulic load to the existing North Avenue Canal, which is taking the Ambattur surplus water to Otteri Nullah. “This is the phase-one of the project. Phase II will be taken up in 2027 from the zero point of Otteri ullah along the Jawaharlal Nehru High Road to the Cooum River,” the commissioner said. He said work will be completed in October.
