Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin will meet engineers from the Indian Railways and the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Monday, November 4, to expedite flood mitigation projects in the city.
The development follows delays in completing various flood-control initiatives. According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, Stalin will specifically inspect the ongoing work related to the Perambur culvert near the Ganesapuram subway, which has been delayed for the past three years.
Railways had cited safety concerns as the reason for the delay. The GCC initially proposed the Ganesapuram subway project in 2021, but the work is still unfinished. GCC officials reported that 32 neighbourhoods across Chennai have experienced flooding due to the delay in completing culverts along railway tracks.
Many areas near railway lines were inundated during recent rains. To address immediate issues, GCC is constructing temporary drains in flood-prone areas and plans to install pumps to remove water.
Social activist and Chennai Study Circle Chairman Krishnan Subramanian commented, “Many areas of Chennai were flooded during the recent rains, but GCC’s timely intervention helped. The state government must coordinate with Railways to accelerate culvert construction, especially on railway land, highway land, and near major waterways, to prevent flooding.”
He added, “The lack of proper culverts in areas like Kodambakkam and T. Nagar, which drain water across railway tracks, has been a major cause of flooding in these neighbourhoods.”
C Rajeev, Director of the Centre for Policy and Development Studies, a Chennai-based think tank, observed, “Engineers from GCC attempted to construct drains along a different alignment rather than focusing on culverts across railway land.”
He noted that this may be why flooding persists in some areas. Rajeev also mentioned reports indicating that Railways had issued a no-objection certificate for four culverts in Korattur, but GCC did not pay the required amount requested by Railways.
Additionally, Kodambakkam and T Nagar continue to experience flooding due to the lack of proper drainage across railway tracks.