City braces for rain, pond restoration stuck

GCC had awarded ₹20-cr contract for work in six packages; NGO says not even 50% work over in six of 14 ponds

- PRAVEENA S A

AS Chennai gets ready for another round of intense rain, the Greater Chennai Corporation's (GCC) initiative to restore 14 ponds to save the city from floods seems to have made little headway.

The civic body awarded contracts for the restoration work in six packages in 2023 and January 2024 at a total cost of ₹20.47 crore under Singara Chennai 2.0 and Amrut 2.0. It's been months since the nine-month deadline set for the completion of the projects lapsed, but no work has been carried out in at least five of the ponds.

A recent audit by city-based NGO Arappor Iyakkam has revealed delays and discrepancies in the work. During a field visit, TNIE also found that no restoration work had been carried out in ponds like Kosappur and Puliyakeni. Residents claimed that it has been over a year since any desilting or restoration work had been carried out there.