CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Sunday, inspected the Adyar River mouth dredging project again, and directed officials to complete the work within two days on a war-footing basis to prevent flooding.
The inspection, along with Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin and Health Minister Ma Subramanian, on Sunday was his second visit in two days. He had visited the site near Srinivasapuram on Friday.
During his first visit, the CM had instructed that the river mouth be expanded to facilitate smoother outflow of excess rainwater into the sea. “During Sunday’s inspection, Chief Minister Stalin reviewed the progress and increased the widening target from 150 metres to 200 metres, ordering officials to speed up the desilting operations,” a government release said.
As of Sunday, 14 dredging machines and 4 earth movers were deployed for the work. Stalin instructed the Water Resources Department and Greater Chennai Corporation to closely monitor the project and complete it within the stipulated time.
He further ordered additional manpower and machinery to be deployed for faster completion and directed officials to take up similar river-mouth widening and desilting works at Cooum, Muttukadu, and Ennore estuaries to ensure effective flood mitigation.
“Earlier, following the onset of the northeast monsoon, the Chief Minister had reviewed flood preparedness measures in several districts including Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and Cuddalore, instructing officials to ensure that harvested paddy was protected from rain and swiftly transported to storage centres,” the release added.