Velachery residents urge removal of encroachments along six-vent culvert

CHENNAI: Residents of Tansi Nagar Residents Welfare Association (TNRWA) staged a protest on Sunday, hoisting black flags atop around 120 houses, demanding the removal of encroachments along the six-vent culvert in Velachery. The residents alleged that both government bodies and private individuals had encroached on parts of the culvert, obstructing the free flow of rainwater. They cited a directive from the Madras HC in March 2025, which ordered the removal of alleged encroachments after a thorough survey within 12 weeks. The protestors raised concerns over the recent creation of a pond adjacent to the culvert as part of the civic bodys flood mitigation efforts. They claimed that the ponds bund would block the natural flow of water through the culvert, worsening water stagnation during heavy rains. While the government removed some private encroachments in 2018, they failed to clear debris, which has now been used to create a bund for the pond, further obstructing water flow, said M Balakrishnan, General Secretary of TNRWA. He added that the Sholinganallur Tahsildar had issued notices for encroachment removal, but no action had been taken. Meanwhile, the Velachery Tahsildar had failed to issue notices despite identifying encroachments due to the compound wall built for two private apartments. Residents also urged the GCC to halt the eco-park project near the culvert and remove all encroachments to prevent flooding in Tansi Nagar, which receives significant surplus water from the Kallukuttai Lake and run-offs from surrounding areas before reaching the six-vent culvert through a canal.