Damage assessment of roads begins

CHENNAI: With the Rain Gods choosing to give the city a break from incessant showers, Chennai Corporation authorities have begun the process of assessing the damage caused to the roads across its 15 zones.The damage assessment could disclose the number of roads that need immediate attention. The civic body has a  Rs 212-crore proposal to re-lay and repair roads (bus route roads, interior roads and streets) maintained by the Corporation.While tenders have already been floated for a Rs 112-crore package for road improvement in the civic body’s existing areas, a Rs 100-crore package for road development in the recently added areas is awaiting the state government’s nod.According to official sources, the civic body, in the last few days alone, has done patchwork of 11,314 sq-metres using bitumen emulsions on 169 roads, identified across its 15 zones for immediate patch work. Besides, the civic body has also intensified the task of putting up patch works across the city from Sunday when the rains stopped.Of the Rs 112-crore, the Rs 50-crore BRR works have been divided into three packages to facilitate speedy re-laying works and the Rs 62-crore work for interior roads has been split  into 17 packages, which would help the civic body to complete it within the stipulated time.The road re-laying works are likely to begin once the monsoon ends. Besides, a Rs 110-crore package for roads in the recently added areas awaits the state government’s nod, which is expected at the end of the month.