Refer to my earlier post relating to the roads being resurfaced without proper milling:
In continuation to what I had said in the above post, I would like to record the recent developments which could be of public interest.
On the 15th of May 2019 I happened to pass through Kannabiran Koil Street ( North end of lane where Ayyappan Koil is located) and noticed some workers cleaning the surface of the road. I was wondering if the Roads were being swept clean by the Conservancy Sweepers Gang or if it was being prepared for resurfacing.
Later in the evening I got to go through Subramanian Road, Ward 70, Zone VI, Perambur, Chennai..and noticed that a few lanes had been resurfaced. During my conversation with the local residents I got to understand the lanes had been resurfaced the earlier night without being milled. With only one more phase to go for the Parliamentary Elections & the results likely to be declared in the coming weeks I was left wondering as to why there was an hurry to resurface the roads without milling.
Over the last couple of years we the residents of Perambur have been addressing our concerns with the officials at the local level as well as the CM’s Special Cell from time to time. Spreading awareness amongst the residents about the High Court Rulings on resurfacing the roads is the responsibility of the Local Administration but this does not seem to be forth coming.
While the interior roads in Mogappair, TVS Colony – Anna Nagar West Extn, Padi and elsewhere in the City are being milled, we fail to understand why Local Officials in Ward 70, Zone 6 do not want to adhere to the Madras High Court Rulings.
We wrote to the GCCC and sought the intervention of the Higher Authorities on this issue.
https://www.facebook.com/CorpChennai/posts/2363677030523804
We believe it is the responsibility of the GCCC to ensure all the Roads in the neighborhood are properly milled before they are resurfaced. Our houses have already sunk by a couple of feet due to resurfacing the road every time without milling.
http://chennai.citizenmatters.in/chennai-chitlapakkam-road-pil-milling-madras-high-court-3980?fbclid=IwAR167hRj8mYB8G72T5QkC-3L6VlBP-CA6AjtD4_53cwUds3v1VuLekcyx5Y
The Story continues ….
On 13th August 2019 I happened to pass through Kanthan Street, Perambur and notice the road was being cleared manually by contract workers for resurfacing. While interacting with the residents of this lane I was informed they were planning to complete the work later in the night. One thing was obviously clear, no effort had been taken to mill the existing surface of the road despite very clear rulings by the Madras High Court. When those within the ranks of the State Administration resort to flouting the rules who are we to approach.
Only a few days ago the local AE had called me to discuss about a long pending complaint. During this time he was saying that our lane ( Venkatraman Canal Street, Ward 70, Zone 6) is on the listing of roads they are planning to resurface in the coming days. This lane was resurfaced in Mid 2015.. After the first rains a portion of the road was damaged totally due to very poor quality of work. We Lodged complaints during this time and ensured the damaged portion was resurfaced again in 2016. By 2017 the rest of the road was totally ruined and remains in the same condition till date.
Despite repeatedly requesting the officials from the GCCC to resurface the road only after proper milling for several years, they seem to do only what suits them best. The AE wanted to say they are planning to top up the existing surface with only 2cm of bitumen mix and milling was not needed. When asked as to why milling was not included in the tender, his response was that their contractor doesn’t have the milling machine. This sounded very absurd and rude… Will it not make good sense to award the contract to a provider who fulfils all the mandatory requirements when the rules are clear. As Citizens /Tax Payers, we are very frustrated and angry to see our hard earned money being misused.
Given the lack of honesty and transparency in the local administration, public participation and regular civic audits have now become a mandatory requirement when it comes to development projects relating to Storm Water Drains, Roads, Water Bodies etc. There are a few questions where we have no answers:
Will the DVAC intervene in such matters of importance only after some one files a complaint??
Can we even expect the local administration to approach such matters proactively ??
Do we need to wait for the Judiciary to take Suo Moto Cognizance on every issue of public interest???
Will this situation ever change in our lifetime??
When can we expect the Lok Ayukta to be in place???
Having said this… I would like to share a video which will help the citizens of Chennai to understand the Road Resurfacing Process.