NH work hit capacity of tank, allege locals

Trichy: An ongoing road expansion project on Trichy-Pudukottai national highway near Trichy international airport has kicked up a controversy with locals alleging that the work has damaged the storage capacity of the Kottapattu big tank. Even as the demand to dredge the flood-prone tank was remaining unaddressed, the soil dumped in it for road work has raised fears of yet another flood in the ensuing monsoon besides encouraging encroachments. Sprawling for 74 acres, the Kottapattu big tank shares boundaries with several government offices and residential areas on Trichy-Pudukottai NH. The tank is not used for irrigation but plays a pivotal role in collecting surplus rainwater from residential areas. The state highways department (national highways wing) is widening about 10 km of the NH at ` 69 crore. The department recently levelled the vacant space adjacent to the Kottapattu big tank bund near Anna science planetarium and Aavin dairy farm. In the process, the residents alleged that a portion of the tank, about 200 metres in length and 20 feet width, was covered with soil.

“This will cause flooding of streets in J K Nagar and R S Puram during monsoons like last year. The road can be widened without disturbing the water body,” J Thirugnanam, president of J K Nagar residents’ welfare association, said.Terming the road work unscientific, residents wanted the bunds of the tank to be surveyed and strengthened. However, the state highways department rejected the allegations and said that the space cleared has not altered the tank’s capacity. “We will construct a vertical retaining wall in our space to mark the boundary,” a senior official of the highways department said. Confusion about its ownership among revenue department, PWD and Trichy corporation has been causing its slow death. “Revenue officials will inspect the tank and we will coordinate with PWD to check its status. ” R Abirami, district revenue officer, said.