Residents irked as contractor dumps road debris into lake

According to the residents, debris created due to the road relaying works have been dumped near the lake. Talking to DT Next, Sunil Jayaram, a resident and member of the community activist group Chitlapakkam Rising, said that the residents had raised objections to the road works being carried out without the milling procedure initially. 

“After we raised an objection, they began milling the roads. However, the debris generated was dumped into the lake, that is yet to recover from the incessant dumping of garbage,” he added.

He added that the soil that was removed for the cut and cover drain project, which is under way for a while now, has also landed in the lake. “The authorities have not even removed the plastic waste from the lake and that has been topped with the soil from the project.”

“However, the prompt outcry did get the authorities to act. The Public Works Department (PWD) has removed most of the debris with traces of the material seen,” said David Manohar, a resident.

The residents have also urged the local body to penalise the contractor who was responsible for the dumping. “The Executive Officer of the Town Panchayat said that the contractor did it without seeking permission from the local body. Even in that case, they cannot claim ignorance and they have to penalise the contractor responsible for it.”

When contacted, M Venkatesh, Executive Officer, Town Panchayat said that they immediately removed the debris after a compliant was raised. “The PWD have removed the debris. They will take over the waterbody for restoration,” he added.

The park proposed in the lake area has also been a contentious issue for the residents who want the waterbody to be recovered to its original capacity. “There is area on the other side for the park that can be developed. We don’t the park to be eating into the lake’s original area,” said a resident.

Even after two years since the plan to restore Velachery lake was announced, the Water Resources Department of the PWD is yet to begin works on the long-neglected waterbody.

Rampant encroachment coupled with the inflow of sewage water have caused substantial damages to the waterbody, which acts as a flood reservoir for the southern suburbs.

The waterbody is filled with hyacinth and continuous encroachments have shrunken the size of the water body from 265 acres to 55 acres now. In the past decade, the Water Resources Department (WRD) announced multiple proposals to restore the waterbody to its original state.

“The authorities promised to introduce various facilities, including boating, footpaths and a recreational area near the lake. However, nothing concrete has emerged so far. But the authorities keep assuring us that the project would start soon,” said Sharmila A, a resident of Adamabakkam.

The officials claimed that the work was being delayed indefinitely, as the Greater Chennai Corporation was unable to plug the sewage draining into the waterbody. “Over 1,700 encroachments were identified along the lake. They will be removed in due course of time,” said a senior engineer.

According to an official attached to the WRD, the department has already sent a proposal to set up an eco-park at Rs 25 crore. “This will be in line with the Chetpet eco-park and Paruthipattu eco-park that is under construction in Avadi. The works will start after the government accords sanction,” he said.

The project aims to strengthen the bund, deepen the lake apart from paving of footpaths and recreation area to attract tourists.