Chennai: Contractors relaying roads in Chennai can no longer simply lay a fresh layer of bitumen over an existing one. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has introduced a three-tier verification mechanism to ensure contractors remove existing bitumen layers before relaying roads.This comes amid rising demands from residents to ensure that contractors mill roads before relaying them, thereby preventing an increase in road height and consequent waterlogging of nearby homes.Under the new system, contractors must submit GPS-tagged photographs and videos documenting the milling process. Project management consultants and GCC officials will inspect the work, verify measurements and certify compliance, while a monitoring committee headed by senior officials will oversee quality and accountability. Photographs, videos and certifications will also be uploaded to the corporation’s website. The civic body warned of strict action against those who violate the guidelines.The move aims to prevent roads from progressively rising above adjoining properties with successive rounds of resurfacing, leaving house entrances and roadside drains at lower levels and increasing the risk of rainwater entering homes and commercial establishments.The civic body maintains 36,466 roads spanning 6,072.45km, including 488 bus route roads and 35,978 interior roads. Most are bituminous and are generally upgraded once every five years. According to GCC, edges inaccessible to cold milling machines must be cleared using other equipment or manual labour.The measures come as the corporation has invited tenders for road improvement works worth ₹130.19 crore in the first phase under the Chief Minister’s Integrated Urban Development Mission (CMIUDM). The state govt had announced ₹300 crore for road improvements across GCC limits under Rule 110. The initial detailed project report estimated the first phase at ₹154.16 crore.Corporation officials said several damaged roads, including stretches on Pillayar Koil Street, Udhyam Nagar, Kubera Nagar and Shalimar Garden, in Adyar and Perungudi zones, were laid on Sunday as part of the scheme.V Sandhya, vice-president of FOARA (Federation of Anna Nagar Residents Association), said: “The corporation should also include a member of Residents’ Welfare association to inspect the roads and check if they’re properly milled and re-laid.”She also said, “In many areas, the corporation officials lay roads without prior information to the residents, this also leaves a gap, as many tend to park vehicles outside their houses, the corporation should at least give a prior notice 15 days before re-laying a road.”“During checks by project management consultants (PMCs), if milling is found not to have been carried out, contractors will be directed to redo the work at their own cost. Payments for road relaying works will be withheld until mandatory milling is completed as per specifications. Repeated violations, negligence or non-compliance may lead to contract termination and blacklisting, as per applicable rules. Greater Chennai Corporation will not compromise on road quality and durability. Strict compliance with technical specifications will be ensured, and contractors will be held accountable for any deviation,” said GCC Commissioner G S Sameeran.
