Date:01/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/01/stories/2006110114860300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Kottivakkam industrial estate hit by rains, power shutdown

R. Srikanth

Manufacturing park, with 300 units, under knee-deep water

INACTIVE: This photo taken on Sunday last shows water flooding in industrial units at Nehru Nagar near Kottivakkam. — PHOTO: R. Ragu

CHENNAI: For entrepreneurs with manufacturing units in Nehru Nagar Industrial Estate in Kottivakkam, the monsoon woes have just begun.

The heavy rains, combined with a power shutdown, have seriously affected operations in the industrial estate for the past three days.

The situation in the industrial estate, located just off the Old Mahabalipuram Road, looks bleak.

Estate submerged

G. Suresh, secretary, Nehru Nagar-Perungudi Industries Association, said the entire estate, comprising 300 manufacturing units employing 3,500 persons, lies submerged under knee-deep water throwing operations out of gear.

He attributes the flooding to the absence of a storm water drain network in the industrial estate and lack of provision for constructing a culvert on the six-lane work in progress on Old Mahabalipuram Road.

Moreover, the development of the by-pass road (also called New Veeranam Salai) behind the industrial estate has resulted in the estate turning into a low-level area, he says.

Except for three important access roads that have been paved with concrete all the service roads and link roads in the industrial estate have become inaccessible for any kind of vehicles due to waterlogging.

After the infrastructure problems in the area and its effect during the previous monsoon were highlighted in Press, the Kotivakkam Panchayat laid three concrete roads.

Frequent power cuts

But the main complaint in the industrial estate, which has an annual turnover of Rs.400 crore, is the frequent power cuts in the industrial estate during monsoon.

The association members say that with all the junction boxes in the industrial estate installed just above the road-level, inundation of junction boxes resulted in frequent power cuts.