Retired IAS officer inspecting irregularities in Smart City projects

The single man commission headed by retired IAS officer PWC Davidar has begun inspection to identify irregularities in Smart City projects in Chennai.

Officials said that Davidar has been inspecting ponds, water bodies, stormwater drains and other Smart City projects. He visited several places, including the Ambattur zone’s Thangal park, Athipattu areas, KK Nagar, Nungambakkam, and other parts of the northern and western sides of the city.

Officials said that he would submit his findings in three months. He has received over 1,000 complaints from residents related to irregularities in the projects.

Arappor Iyakkam convenor Jayaram Venkatesan said that the missing links in stormwater drainage should be reviewed. Besides connecting the missing links, they have reconstructed the stormwater drains in many places.

He added under drainage work gradients was not accurately fixed, leading to water stagnation. Further, the waterbody restoration work should also be reviewed.

Geographic information system (GIS) expert Dhayanand Krishnan said the Smart City irregularities must be reviewed above and under the road.

He said separate utility ducts, built-in smart payments for fibre cables, stormwater drains with adequate carrying capacity, and inundation studies were completed before initiating the projects.

He added that various water body restoration works must be undertaken and check if fire hydrants have been installed in the city.

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