Tamil Nadu government keen on fencing Adyar river

CHENNAI: The State government has come out with a comprehensive plan for 52 village panchayats with high population density to prevent garbage dumping into the Adyar river, according to Kancheepuram Collector P Ponniah.The official, who attended a public hearing for Second Phase of Modernisation of Chennai Airport, said the boundaries of the Adyar river have been fixed and work is now on to fence the entire stretch of the waterway.

He said Rs 78 crore has been allocated by Chennai River Restoration Trust to fence the river and plant Vettiver grass along the banks. He said a tender has been floated and once the bidder is identified, the project will be implemented and completed within 18 months.

To a query on the secondary runway, which was one of the major cause for floods during December 1, 2015, he said the Public Works Department will desilt deeper to ensure more water holding capacity of the river at that spot. Environmentalists had warned officials against constructing a runway bridge across the river.