Snail’s pace of Perungalathur flyover construction irks residents

CHENNAI: Hundreds of motorists and passengers plying via the arterial GST road are upset with the State government, as the Perungalathur flyover work, which was supposed to be completed by this year, is again delayed due to lack of co-operation between the Highways and State Forest departments.

The construction work started around 8 years ago and is progressing at a snail’s pace.

In 2001, the Highways department allocated Rs 86 crore for the project.

Two decades later, the cost has increased to over Rs 200 crore and the work remains incomplete.

After the funds were allocated, there were many problems in deciding where to construct the flyover. Later, the Highways closed the LC32 railway level crossing and started the work.

After the Covid lockdown, the cost-estimate was revised and was increased to Rs 234 crore. It was promised that all works would be completed by 2021.

In September 2022, Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the first arm of the flyover on the GST Road towards Tambaram. It was said that within 6 months, another side of the flyover would be completed and inaugurated for the public.

The construction work in Srinivasa Nagar is going on and is mostly completed, but on the other side in Kamaraj Nagar, the work has not yet started.

Sources said that the flyover has to be constructed on forest land in Kamaraj Nagar and the Forest Department has been denying approval for over a year.

This makes residents suspect that the work might take few more years to be completed fully.

John, a resident from the locality, rued, “The construction has not only affected traffic in Perungalathur for the past 5 years but has also adversely impacted local businesses. Since the construction is taking place in the main junction, residents are finding it difficult to walk on the street and have gone to other areas to shop.”

Commuters lament over the waiting period at the railway gate during peak hours for up to one hour.

“This will end only if the flyover work gets completed and the government should speed up the work,” opined a commuter.

When contacted, a senior official from the Highways department admitted that the approval has been pending from the forest department.

“Talks of getting approval are in progress, we’ll get it 3 months. Once the approval is given, the work can be completed in 2 months,” he explained.