CHENNAI : It has taken a rap from the State Information Commission for the Public Works and Highways departments to reveal information which has not been made public so far: that an elevated highway is coming up between Srinivasapuram and the East Coast Road in Chennai, and that necessary environmental clearances may not have been obtained.

This came to light when K.Saravanan of Urur Kuppam, Besant Nagar, moved the State Information Commission seeking details from the PWD about the reclamation of marshy land adjacent to Quibble Island cemetery and laying of a road near Odaikuppam south of Besant Nagar beach.

In a hearing on December 14, the Commission ordered disciplinary proceedings against PWD and Highways department officials [to whom PWD transferred Mr. Saravanan's petition] for the "tremendous delay" and "snail-mail" speed in supplying information. The information provided was "murky" and "inadequate", State Chief Information Commissioner S. Ramakrishnan said in his order and went on to observe "the Commission is pained to note that this is not the first case concerning these two departments and despite having committed enormous blunders, attracting widespread public attention of their failure earlier, they are still to educate themselves about the provisions of the Act."

Fisherfolk agitated

"Fisherfolk in Urur Kuppam were agitated over a spate of construction and civil activities along the Adyar Creek at Srinivasapuram and near the Quibble Island cemetery. Officials had told them that an elevated highway was coming up, though no official announcement was made. When we feared that there would be mass eviction of fisherfolk due to the proposed project, we sought the information from the PWD," Mr. Saravanan said.

In a letter dated November 14, V. Kothandaraman, Divisional Engineer, Chennai City Roads Division, Highways Department, said the department was constructing an elevated highway in Odaikuppam, south of Besant Nagar beach. The exact cost of the project was "yet to be assessed" and a detailed project report was under way to reclaim land adjacent to Quibble cemetery. Permission and clearance — including under the Environment Act and CRZ— were under the purview of a `Beach Committee'.

"Laconic"

"The story gets murky [in the Highways department]", Mr. Ramakrishnan said in his order, pointing that the reference to the Beach Committee was "laconic." "The Act expects clear information should be given and not such laconic statements."

Environmentalists say development activities point to a plan to subvert the Coastal Regulation Zone Act. "As the CRZ permits development only along the landward side of existing roads, we apprehend the authorities may create a road-like area near Odaikuppam and subsequently argue it was a pre-existing road to facilitate massive construction activities along the shoreline," said Nityanand Jayaraman of the Corporate Accountability Desk.

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