Luxury apartment construction: Residents of CMRL quarters lament slushy road

CHENNAI: Daily life has become a struggle for more than 500 residents of the CMRL workers’ quarters in Nerkundram, as their only access road has turned slushy and unsafe due to the constant movement of tipper lorries from a private luxury apartment construction site.

The 80 Feet Road in Nerkundram has been muddy and waterlogged for nearly five months because of the heavy movement of trucks transporting excavated earth from a site owned by a leading builder.

Residents said hundreds of tippers ply through the stretch every day, leaving behind thick layers of mud that make the road unusable for the public, especially two-wheeler riders. This is the only approach road to the CMRL workers’ quarters, which houses 112 families and nearly 500 residents. Around 200 school students who use the road daily are also affected.

A few months ago, residents staged a protest demanding action against the builder. Ward 145 Councillor Sathiyanathan had visited the site and assured residents that the issue would be resolved, but residents say no improvement has been seen since.

“We complain almost every day to the site engineer. They clear the mud once, but the very next day it’s back to the same condition,” said Vallavarajan, a resident of the quarters.

School bus drivers have also reportedly refused to enter the quarters because of the constant movement of heavy lorries on the narrow road. “As per the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016, major construction sites must have a wheel-washing system. But no such facility exists at the construction site, which is the root cause of this problem. The road was maintained by CMRL until 2022, but after it came under the Greater Chennai Corporation, we’ve been facing continuous issues,” said another resident, Ramarajan.

When contacted, Sathiyanathan said, “I will speak to the officials, and action will be taken shortly.”