East Coast Elevated Expressway

Are all these new flyovers and elevated expressways really the solution to Chennai's traffic problems? I am filled with apprehension at the thought of what their construction will cost the city. But of all the proposals, the one along the coast fills me with the most dread. For here it is not just the lives of the fisherfolk, but also the survival of a very fragile ecosystem that hangs in the balance.

The proposed expressway will cut across the Adyar estuary and the Theosophical Society grounds, run along the Besant Nagar beach and then along the shoreline, up to Kottivakkam- displacing nearly 14 fishing villages along the way and doing incalculable damage to the local ecosystem. The Adyar creek, a protected area that has migratory birds and mangroves will badly affected. It will also permanently destroy the nesting grounds of the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles.

I am firmly of the opinion that their money would be better spent on improving roads and public transport, educating motorists and enforcing rules, and working steadily towards reducing the number of vehicles on Chennai's roads.

I am probably a bit behind the times on this, because I can't seem to find any recent information on the status of the project, but I will post updates if I come across any. Please leave a comment or send me an email at childofchennai@gmail.com, if you have any information.

In the meantime, I found this petition to stop the expressway being built. I'm not sure how old it is, but it's not going to do any harm to sign it. They were looking for 10,000 signatures but have only around a 1000. I think that's really sad. What it needs is people to spread the word. So send a message to everyone you know and ask them to sign the petition here. You can also join ROB - to help Reclaim Our Beaches.