The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Road extension project dropped

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Wednesday, Sep 09, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Road extension project dropped

A. Srivathsan

“Proposal will bring in heavy traffic into fishing hamlet, affect livelihood”

Corporation had claimed that it was only re-laying the existing road
New road in this area will violate Costal Regulation Zone rules

CHENNAI: A proposal to extend the sixth avenue along Elliots Beach Road, Besant Nagar, up to the broken bridge at the mouth of the Adyar has been dropped.

Fishermen residing at Urur and Ollcott Kuppams opposed the Chennai Corporation’s proposal to extend the road from Besant Nagar Fifth Avenue junction up to the Adyar along the Theosophical Society compound and the coast.

In 2008, the Chennai Corporation proposed this road at an estimated cost of Rs. 9 lakh. However, it claimed that it was only re-laying and improving the existing road and not forming a new alignment. A new road in this costal area would be a violation of Costal Regulation Zone Rules.

K. Saravanan, who is a member of the Urur Kuppam panchayat, contested the Corporation’s claim and explained that what existed is a small mud footpath used by the fishermen, vehicles and film shooing vans to go up to the secluded broken bridge.

“The proposal would bring in heavy traffic that was hitherto limited to Besant Nagar Beach right into the fishing hamlet and affect our living and work,” R. Srinivasan, president, Urur Kuppam, who opposes the road project explained.

“The public can continue to enjoy the beach as they do now and there is no need for the metal road that would bring in more vehicles at the cost of fishermen’s life. We oppose it,” he said.

Mr. Saravanan said that the area needed “better sanitary facilities and improved lighting arrangements and not roads of this kind.”

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni told The Hindu that after reviewing the proposal in the light of objections from fishermen and CRZ rules, the road project has been dropped.

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