Constituency Watch | Velachery: Flooding, encroachments, infra gaps plague IT hub

CHENNAI: Chronic flooding, unchecked encroachments, and lagging infrastructure continue to plague Velachery, one of the city’s key Assembly constituencies encompassing Adyar, Besant Nagar, Taramani and Thiruvanmiyur.

Despite housing major IT hubs, educational institutions and dense residential clusters, the area remains vulnerable due to its low-lying terrain and infrastructure that has not kept pace with rapid urbanisation. Residents say flood mitigation measures remain incomplete.

During the last Assembly election, sitting MLA Hassan Maulana had promised to fast-track stormwater drain works and flood prevention projects. However, only partial progress has been made, residents allege.

Kumararaja, president of the Velachery Welfare Association, said poor maintenance of the Velachery lake is a key reason for flooding. “Unchecked growth of water hyacinth, lack of desilting and sewage inflow have worsened the situation. No effective steps have been taken in the past five years,” he said. He suggested creating a large lake in the government-acquired Guindy Race Course land instead of a park, to aid flood mitigation.

Traffic congestion remains another major concern. Residents have demanded that the Velachery Bypass and Taramani–Velachery flyovers be converted into two-way corridors, saying the current one-way system has failed to ease traffic.

Healthcare access is also an issue, with no government hospital in the locality following the relocation of a 50-bed facility. Residents are forced to travel long distances for treatment. A long-pending proposal to build a bus terminus and depot on 6.25 acres, announced in 2010, has yet to take off.

AGS Colony in Velachery West remains among the worst affected during the monsoon. Geetha Ganesh, secretary of the local residents’ welfare association, said a demand for direct road connectivity to Velachery Bypass Road has been pending for over 35 years. She also called for land acquisition near Veerangal Odai to build a wider stormwater drain.

Residents have further flagged illegal parking, which has reduced the effective width of the 100-feet Bypass Road to two lanes, along with demands for underground power cabling, removal of waterbody encroachments and multi-level parking facilities. Concerns were also raised about untreated sewage entering stormwater drains and contaminating drinking water.

Ayyappan, a resident of Thanthai Periyar Nagar in Taramani, said basic works, such as road-laying and drainage, remain incomplete. Another resident, Murugan, alleged that sewage is mixing into drinking water and continues unchecked.

Responding to the concerns, MLA Hassan Maulana said several projects have been executed, including flyovers at Madhya Kailash and Velachery, stormwater drain works, park renovations, and public gym facilities. Residents also noted that the MLA has raised local issues in the Assembly.

The Congress has renominated Hassan Maulana for the upcoming Assembly election, with the incumbent highlighting his development record during his campaign. But the constituencies and their representatives have walked miles before they could say that the high-end residential hub is trouble-free.

Total voters: 2,11,691

Men: 1,02,235

Women: 1,09,411

Trans persons: 45

Sitting MLA: MLA Hassan Maulana

Party: Congress