Highways dept takes over Saidapet B ground as open storage area

CHENNAI: As construction materials used by the State Highways department occupy the Institute of Advanced Study in Education playground, widely known as Saidapet B Ground, the residents of Tod Hunter Nagar have raised flags against the department.

The Highways department has barricaded and stored construction materials on the ground for the ongoing Teynampet–Saidapet flyover project.

Over 3,000 residents of the TNHB and PWD apartments in the area, children and elders alike, have been using the ground as a recreational space for nearly two decades.

Local sports groups, daily walkers, and those who exercise are now forced out of the ground due to its closure.

Football coach Baskar, who trains over 150 students for free, said the ground has nurtured several players over the years. "One of my students, Anitha Raghav Raman, represented India in the under-17 women’s team," he said. Residents noted that what began as a small walking group eventually grew into an active football community.

Initially, the highway official tried to dump the construction materials at the playground of the Government Model Higher Secondary School at Tod Hunter Nagar, behind the Saidapet Bus Stand on Anna Salai. However, the students of the model school staged a road roko on Anna Salai two months back. After the protest, the officials moved to the Saidapet B ground for storing the materials from November 1.

A Highways department official acknowledged the opposition but said the land belonged to the government. "We looked for alternative spaces, but nothing worked out. The material needs to be stored here as we are expediting the flyover project and aim to complete it in three months,” the official said, adding that work would be carried out at night.

Bharat, a resident, lamented the sudden loss of the ground, which was a haven for hundreds of people every day. A Mukkili, another resident, said a portion of the compound wall was demolished last week, and construction work had already begun.

Residents also fear damage to Tod Hunter Nagar Road, the only route for heavy vehicles. Several are exploring legal options to halt the occupation.

A site supervisor informed that a portion of the ground, 25 metres wide and over 100 metres long, had been kept open for public use, and that the entire area would be levelled with gravel and reopened once the project was completed.