The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun to remove the temporary work platforms put up along the Cooum River for the construction of the 20-km long double-decker Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Corridor.  

During a meeting convened by the Additional Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, on Northeast monsoon preparedness on Saturday, the NHAI had promised that the platforms would be removed before the first week of October to ensure the free flow of water in the river during monsoon, official sources said.  

Around 250 temporary structures were erected to facilitate the movement of people and heavy machinery around the pillars. “We will remove the bunds in a phased manner and at places where the work is nearing completion. These platforms are needed for construction, as the riverbed and the banks are soft. We have instructed the contractor to complete the work before the rain begins. Each bund, around 10-metres long, would take up four lorries worth of earth,” they said. 

The NHAI had been removing the temporary bunds before every monsoon for the past two years. In 2024, the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal directed the Water Resources Department and the NHAI to monitor the flow of water in the river. Residents living along the river had expressed concern over the bunds.