Corporation lies, and Chennai floats, again

TNN | Updated: Oct 31, 2017, 00:07 IST

CHENNAI: The city received just 6cm of rain on Monday, but that was enough to prove Greater Chennai Corporation had not been honest with residents about its monsoon-preparedness.

With storm water drains choked, major roads came under water, inundating several localities and affecting traffic movement for long hours. But the civic body chose to downplay the situation, saying that only 105 complaints of water stagnation had been reported and that no trees were uprooted.

The corporation's figure only took into account the petitions received by the 24/7 control room at Ripon Buildings, indicating that the civic body's 1913 helpline was not registering complaints. Several attempts by TOI to obtain actual monsoon-related complaint data failed as officials in the public relations department officials refused to share it.

Unfinished Metrowater work also caused stagnation in places like Guindy and Perungudi. Sajeevan, a Perungudi resident, said most storm water drains were blocked. Residents in areas like Villivakkam, Royapuram and Pulianthope too said passages to drains were blocked and that water wasn't receding.

With schools remaining open during the day, the poor road condition troubled parents. "The roads in Virugambakkam had turned into slush pits. There were potholes everywhere," said Vijay, a local resident.

Important bus route stretches like Whites Road in Royapettah, Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road in Ambattur, Jawaharlal Nehru Salai that connects Ekattuthangal with Koyambedu, and Old Mahabalipuram Road were under sheets of water.

As the roof of Chennai Central railway station, a heritage structure, leaked, a passenger shot a clip of water covering old and new concourse areas, and demanded action, after uploading it on Twitter, from the railway minister to fix what has become a recurrent problem.

Water logging on the stretch of GNT Road from Puzhal flyover towards Karanodai meant vehicles could move only at a snail's pace. In the RBI subway near Parry's water was at least one ft deep, while it was more than two ft deep in the one at Vyasarpadi Jeeva. With few corporation officials or police personnel to regulate traffic movement, members of the public took it upon themselves to streamline movement by allowing cars and two-wheelers to move alternately.

At Padmnabha Nagar in Adyar, a tree was uprooted in the rain. Thevar Jayanthi celebrations too affected traffic movement. "To reach Teynampet, it took me twice the time than on a normal day. There was bumper-to-bumper traffic on Anna Salai," said S Komal of Madipakkam.



On Santhome High Road and Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, lines of vehicles stretched for long distances. Motorists caught in the rain took refuge under overpasses as well as under metro rail and MRTS structures. Police reported a high number of accidents but no casualties. "The accidents mostly involved two-wheelers that skidded on slippery roads," an officer said.