Arappor Iyakkam Report Flags Road Height Violations Across Chennai

Residents across Chennai and other districts have documented widespread road height violations, citing newly laid stretches in areas including C.P. Ramasamy Road, T.T.K. Road, Cenotaph Road, and R.A. Puram that bypass mandatory milling regulations. Anti-corruption watchdog Arappor Iyakkam compiled the findings based on crowdsourced data and GPS-tagged photographic evidence.

The report recorded 245 specific instances of road height violations across Tamil Nadu, comprising 42 stretches in Chennai and 203 in other districts. The documentation was carried out by 157 volunteer residents. Other affected areas identified in Chennai include Ashok Nagar Eleventh Avenue, Besant Nagar First Main Road, AGS Colony Second Main Road, Mogappair West Main Road, Canal Bank Road, and Mugalivakkam.

Arappor Iyakkam convener Jayaram Venkatesan stated that the crisis stems from contractors routinely bypassing mandatory cold milling before laying new road layers. Consequently, repeated paving elevates the street surface, leaving adjacent houses significantly below road level. In areas such as Mugalivakkam, homes have dropped one to two feet below the newly laid roads.

The raised road levels have caused severe civic complications. When streets are elevated without milling, they act as funnels, directing rainwater and raw sewage straight into low-lying residences during monsoons. Venkatesan noted that raising road heights also disrupts existing stormwater drain networks and prompts wasteful public expenditures to reconstruct platforms, manholes, and silt drains at higher levels.

The report highlighted that the resulting sunken manholes and utility chambers present serious safety hazards, frequently leading to two-wheeler accidents. Elevated roads also create physical access barriers for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. To escape recurring inundation, some residents have spent up to ₹40 lakh to elevate their ground floors.

Arappor Iyakkam has urged the government to intervene immediately, enforce cold-milling regulations on road contractors, and implement systemic changes. Affected residents have also demanded financial compensation from the government for the expenses incurred.