NHAI covers drains on Chennai Bypass Road with slabs
CHENNAI: Five days since the horrific deaths of a doctor and her daughter after the scooter in which they were travelling in skidded into an open drain along Chennai Bypass Road, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has begun covering drains.
The 700-metre stretch along the accident spot near Nolambur is covered with cement slabs. Kanagaraj, who was heading the construction works at the site, said a one-feet wall will be constructed on both sides and slabs will be placed above them. “It will take 15 days to complete this work. Remaining work along the 11-km stretch in Nolambur and Maduravoyal areas might take another month,” he told reporters on Saturday.
However these are just temporary measures. NHAI Chennai regional office is yet to get approval from its New Delhi headquarters to cover the drains all along the 32-km bypass road connecting Tambaram with Puzhal.
NHAI’s 2018 proposal to cover open-type storm water drains (SWDs) along this road was declined because they wanted the stretch to be a ‘Model Highway Road’, which includes planting of trees, shrubs above closed drains and wider service lanes, said a senior NHAI official.
