CHENNAI CORPORATION: Road work worth Rs 8 crore down the drain

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/road-work-worth-rs-8-crore-down-the-drain/219521.html

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on October 31, 2010:

CHENNAI: Barring a few roads in the city, repair work done by the Chennai Corporation on damaged roads and inner streets at a cost of Rs 8 crore has vanished even before the onset of the monsoon rains.

The work was necessitated as most of the roads managed by the civic body have been in bad shape for quite sometime.

With mounting criticism from motorists who battle with battered roads on a daily basis, the Corporation had envisaged a quick patchwork plan earlier this month, at an estimated cost of Rs 7.5 crore.

On October 20, Mayor M Subramanian launched the repair drive across the city and asked the 13 selected contractors to complete it before the arrival of the rains.

Though the contractors completed their task well ahead of time, most of the repair work done on the roads has practically melted away, almost as soon as it was finished.

About five days ago, work was completed on stretches of Mannadi Street, behind the Collectorate.

But on Saturday morning after incessant rains, there was no sign of the work done there, and again, motorists had to contend with large potholes, said Kumar, a trader on the street.

“The disappearance of the patch work on roads within two days raises a serious question about its quality,” Devi, a CPM Councillor from Ward-59, told Express.

The Mayor however, denied the use of any poor quality material for the work. He said the work needed 12 hours to settle properly and could have been damaged due to unexpected spells of rain.