Tamil Nadu government okays Chennai corporation’s plan to revamp Mambalam canal – Times of India

CHENNAI: The city corporation’s plans for a revamp of the Mambalam canal and construction of a separate building to house the command and control centre will soon take shape. A high-power committee headed by top officials in the state government on Monday approved the proposals.
The project to redo the Mambalam canal, estimated to cost around 67 crore, will involve converting a 2km stretch into a place where people can walk, take a cycle ride and relax in parks. The plan to construct a flood protection and retaining wall including a canal lining, a shared pathway, a cycle track and parks and green packets will be part of the Area Based Development (ABD) of the smart city in T Nagar. The portion between the Metrowater pumping station at Valluvar Kottam and Sir Theagaraya Road will be taken up.
The issues identified are indiscriminate garbage dumping by residents into the water canal as well as illegal sewage and other waste water. As a result, the canal is currently not able to drain flood water. The corporation plans to de-silt the canal, provide new support columns in the side walls and construct new retaining walls. Rider sewers on either side will be provided to arrest the flow of untreated sewage and divert it to the nearest pumping station for treatment and disposal.
A deck slab will be provided on the canal for cycle track, walkways and parks. End protection walls along the entire stretch will provide safety to cyclists and pedestrians.
Unlike other water bodies, no encroachments need to be removed from the bank of the canal, a senior official said.
The other project to be given the green signal is construction of a four-storey complex, which will be known as Chennai Smart City Ltd (CSCL) green building, within the corporation’s headquarters at Ripon Buildings. It will house an integrated command and control centre with 60 personnel who will be operational 24×7. It will also host an innovation hub where organisations providing cutting-edge civic services will be able to collaborate.
The building will be environmentally sustainable and would also have a skywalk to other existing buildings in the Ripon Buildings complex.
The second floor of the building will house a war room that will overlook the ICCC. This war room will be useful during disasters and emergencies. The terrace would be provided with a large dining area under solar panels for generation of clean energy.