Chennai: A 4ft portion of Radhakrishnan Salai in Mylapore caved in on Sunday due to damage to a stormwater drain, marking the third such incident at the same spot. Greater Chennai Corporation said it will start work to replace the damaged pipeline on Sunday night.The cave-in occurred after an old arch-type drain, constructed during the British period using brick, deteriorated and collapsed at depth. The pothole at the Dr Radhakrishnan Salai-Royapettah High Road junction, within the E-2 Traffic Police Station limits, was immediately closed with cement by the police.GCC took only temporary measures at the site after previous cave-ins. “We would take up permanent repair work on Sunday night without causing major disruption to traffic. The damaged portion will be replaced with a new 10ft-long pipeline,” said Teynampet zonal officer S Senthilkumaran.The replacement is also aimed at improving stormwater flow and preventing waterlogging during the monsoon season.A 7ft cave-in occurred on the same stretch near the Cathedral Road Flyover in Oct 2024 following a rain spell. “The earlier incidents were addressed with temporary measures to keep traffic moving and prevent waterlogging, but the old drain continues to pose a risk,” said L Kosumani, a resident of Pattinampakkam.
