1250 roads to be re-laid from June

In June, it was announced by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) that they would commence the process of re-laying 1,250 roads as soon as the model code of conduct was lifted. Sanctions worth 250 crore were received by the civic body under the Nagarapura Salai Mempattu Thittam (NSMT) and TURIP scheme. Chief engineer S Rajendiran stated that 36 bus route roads and approximately 1,200 interior streets would be relayed with these funds. It was mentioned by him that estimates for smaller roads were being finalized. He further stated that the work to repair the roads would commence in June and continue until the onset of the monsoon. Contractors failing to relay roads after milling them would now face penalties of 5,000 per day, as per the new regulations enforced by GCC. According to data provided by GCC, the Tondiarpet zone would witness the relaying of 153 roads, followed by 133 in Anna Nagar, 111 in Valsaravakkam, and 108 roads in Adyar. Rajendiran specified that 500 million would be allocated for bus route roads and 200 crore for interior roads. He added that interior roads, being narrower, would allow for the relaying of more roads with lesser funds. Officials pointed out that the corporation had faced shortages in grants and state funding for roads in previous years. An estimated amount of 17 billion is required by GCC to repair all the damaged roads in the city, which amounts to around 5,000 such roads. Residents emphasized that the corporation should prioritize the identification and repair of roads that had not been relaid for six to seven years. R Ramesh from Old Washermenpet cited examples such as Mayor Basudev Street, Ramanujam Street, Mayappan Street, and Mint Subburayulu Street, among others, which had not seen any relaying for a decade.