A few hundred residents from several districts joined a protest in Chennai on Sunday, demanding that the Tamil Nadu government stop the repeated raising of road levels, enforce proper road milling and strengthen accountability in public road works.
The protest was organised by anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam under the banner Kelu Tamil Nadu Kelu. The group placed seven demands before the government, including making it mandatory for contractors to mill existing roads to the required depth before laying a new surface. It also called for road levels to be recorded against Mean Sea Level using reference markers.
The protesters demanded that measurements taken before and after road works be entered in measurement books and uploaded online. They also sought mandatory photographic and video evidence showing milling depth and road levels before and after construction. Contractors who fail to follow these procedures and cause road levels to rise should not be paid, the group said.
The issue has direct consequences for homes located below elevated roads. Renu Karthik, a resident of Chromepet who attended the protest, said repeated increases in road height had caused sewage to flow into his house. He said an official had told him that nothing could be done because the homes were below the road level.
Sujatha Vijayaraghavan, a resident of Alwarpet, said road levels in the area had risen over the past 20 years. She called for the government to engage qualified companies to relay roads and assess the height of existing roads, alleging that residents had approached successive corporation commissioners without obtaining a solution.
The protesters also demanded compensation of up to ₹40 lakh for every house affected by road elevation, calculated on a per-square-foot basis. Other demands included gradually reducing the height of main roads to restore the original levels of interior streets and creating an expert committee to address problems affecting existing roads and homes.
Arappor Iyakkam coordinator Jayaram Venkatesan alleged that contractors avoid milling roads in order to retain additional funds. He urged residents to monitor local road works, stop work when road levels are being increased and seek action against responsible officials and contractors.
The campaign has asked residents across Tamil Nadu to meet officials from the municipal administration, rural development and state highways departments, depending on which agency is responsible for road works in their area. The group’s demands place measurement records, visual evidence, payment controls and public disclosure at the centre of the dispute over Chennai road height.
