Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Jayalalithaa sets deadline for road repairs

By Karthik Subramanian

The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa (in the first car) inspecting rain-affected Meenambal Nagar at Korukupet in Chennai on Monday. — Photo: Vino John

CHENNAI NOV. 11. The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today made a two-hour inspection of some rain-hit areas in the city, and came out with announcements of construction of a Rs. 25-crore rail overbridge for Vyasarpadi and acquisition of 15 fire tenders at a cost of Rs. 1.5 crores.

At present, the subway at the Vyasarpadi-Erukkenchery junction has been severely inundated. Apart from taking care of immediate relief works such as baling out water and providing food packets, Ms. Jayalalithaa asked accompanying officials and elected representatives to look at long-term solutions.

During the inspection covering several stretches of the R.K.Nagar constituency and some parts of Perambur, Ms. Jayalalithaa ordered that high-power pumps be used to bale out water in highly-inundated areas.

The Government was also considering a proposal to drain water from Erunkkenchery into the Buckingham Canal.

The Chief Minister set a one-week deadline for the civic agency to repair Sathiyamoorthy Nagar Main Road, Tondiarpet High Road, Manali Road, Kathivakkam High Road and Cochrane Basin Road. Further, the civic agency was asked to consider a proposal for laying concrete roads, in view of the movement of heavy vehicles and to submit a feasibility report by January next.

Scores of residents queued up along the route to narrate their tales of woes to the Chief Minister. Most of them, however, had to return disappointed as the inspection team made only a few stops en route. Several residents of Slum Board tenements at Mahakavi Bharati Nagar, especially women, became angry as the team did not stop. They gave vent to their ire at convoy vehicles including press vehicles. They complained that sewage had mixed with drinking water and wondered how the inspection party could get an overall picture if it ignored interior roads. In some areas, local AIADMK cadres tried to infuse a festive atmosphere, welcoming the inspection party with festoons and cone speakers blaring the praise of "Thanai Thalaivi". And this came in for severe criticism by the public.

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