HC seeks details of complaints on poor roads in Corpn limits

Observing that maintenance of roads in proper condition is an issue across the State, the Madras High Court has directed the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Superintending Engineer (SE) in charge of bus route roads to furnish a list containing the complaints received by the Corporation regarding maintenance and repair of roads and the action taken so far.

A division bench comprising Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad took judicial note of the matter during the hearing of another writ petition regarding the collection of waste when submissions on road maintenance were made. The bench directed the District Collectors to furnish details on the issue of road maintenance and posted the plea to June 17.

The bench also recorded the Superintendent Engineer’s submission on primary collection of waste that 6,767 permanent workers, 538 nominal muster roll (NMR) workers, 8,476 National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) workers were engaged for door-to-door collection and sweeping of all bus route roads, interior roads, slum roads, and by lanes in 12 Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) zones. In the other zones – 9, 10 and 13 – this is being done by Ramky, a private operator, by engaging 4,818 workers.

Along with this, 19 mechanical sweepers are deployed for sweeping all bus route roads and major arterial roads during night.

In all, 5,489 tricycles are deployed for door-to-door collections across the city. For secondary transportation, 231compactors by GCC and 60 compactors of Ramky are deployed to take solid waste to the land fill sites at Kodungaiyur and Perungudi. This works out to a daily average of 5,200 tonnes of solid waste.

Dry waste is collected door-to-door on every Wednesdays and sold to recyclers, and the revenue is used for workers’ welfare.

The bench pointed out that judicial notice can be taken for not performing the obligation of collection and clearance of waste, and also sought to know as to why the civic body, which has issued a show cause notice to Ramky, has not been impleaded in this writ petition.

“Though the SE (Bus Route Roads), GCC, has furnished the details of workers employed, tricycles engaged, etc., he has not disclosed the action taken against the contractor. This ought to have been disclosed in the counter affidavit filed in this writ petition,” the bench added.