Odiyur lake to be debris-free by Jan 2026: NHAI to NGT
Construction materials have been dumped to build bridge on ECR
Odiyur lake (file photo)
CHENNAI: The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that soil and other materials dumped inside the Odiyur lake will be cleared within one month after the construction of a major bridge on East Coast Road. The works are expected to be completed by January 2026.
In a report, the Authority said that the ECR connecting Chennai and Puducherry was initially designated as State Highway. The Government of India decided to develop various roads in the country under Bharatmala Pariyojana. The Chennai to Puducherry stretch is also included in the project. “The present project under implementation is of national importance and connects the lengths and breadths of the coastal region of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The project is aimed at developing and improving road infrastructure of the State including connectivity of the neighbouring State of Puducherry.
“This will open the opportunities for economic prosperity, freight movement, movement of people, industrialization and also decongest other National Highways and lead to the prosperity of the crores of people living in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry,” said the report. The report added that there is a 2-lane major bridge of 240m across Odiyur Lake connecting Paramankeni and Mudaliarkuppam villages in Cheyyur taluk. The approaches to the major bridge are on the S-Curve with a radius of 270mts.
“For improving the geometrics at the highway, it is proposed to construct a new bridge of 490m in the realignment to improve the geometrics of approaches to meet with design speed requirements of 100 km/hr,” the report said.
K Saravanan, an activist, filed a case against the project praying for a direction to remove all the soil and other materials dumped inside the Odiyur lagoon and restore the area to its original condition and also not to lay any road/highway in the lagoon.
The applicant alleged that soil had been dumped inside the lagoon area in violation of NGT orders.
