Demolition of Adyar causeway in Ekkatuthangal begins

According to a Chennai Corporation official, the civic body has been exhorting the concerned departments to remove the bridge as it was impeding the free flow of water in Adyar River. “The causeway was built and maintained by Highways Department and the maintenance of river is with Public Works Department. We were pushing them for a while to demolish the causeway,” the official said.

It may be noted that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in its recent audit report on the 2015 floods, had pointed out that the causeway was one of the reasons for the inundation in Ekkatuthangal and Jaffarkhanpet areas.

“There is a bridge over the Adyar River connecting Ekkatuthangal and Jaffarkhanpet, which was built by Highways Department. Although the motorists were using the causeway to avoid traffic on the bridge, the causeway is unnecessary,” the official said.

The Highways and Public Works Departments have taken the preparatory steps for the last couple of days before commencing the causeway on Tuesday, the official said.

“During the floods, the causeway was completely damaged, but it was restored and put into use again. The motorists use the causeway to avoid traffic, but it poses a threat of inundation,” S Bharathi, a resident of Ekkatuthangal said.

Bharathi also pointed out that the causeway was poorly illuminated, and it lacked parapet walls on both the sides to prevent accidental death. “There were incidents of two-wheeler riders falling into the river to their death. The officials should also remove debris after demolishing the causeway,” he said.