Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Ltd (TNUIFSL) has floated a Rs 23 lakh tender seeking consultants to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for developing a 3.7-km riverfront across three stretches in central Chennai, The New Indian Express reported.
They comprise a 500 m portion between Napier Bridge and the Cooum’s mouth, a 1.2 km length between Swami Sivananda Salai and Periyar Bridge, and a 2 km length between Link Road and Dams Road.
Proposed by the Chennai Rivers Transformation Company Ltd, the project seeks to convert the riverfront into an accessible public space with walkways, cycling infrastructure, recreation zones, cultural spaces and civic amenities.
The consultant will examine the state of embankments and retaining structures, carry out topographical surveys and geotechnical studies, and trace sources of pollution. Encroachments, bank erosion and critical intervention zones will also be studied.
The firm will have to suggest ways to stop sewage and wastewater from entering the river, factoring in upstream and downstream conditions. Its proposals will also address lighting, surveillance, safety and climate-resilient features such as flood-risk assessment and nature-based solutions, besides estimating user demand and likely footfall.
Plantation work falls outside the DPR as the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will take it up. It has already issued tenders of nearly Rs 50 lakh for planting and upkeep along the Napier Bridge and Swami Sivananda Salai stretches.
Separately, animal activists have urged the GCC to shift cattle roaming along the Cooum at spots like Spur Tank Road to its modern cattle shed. Owners, however, are often reluctant as the corporation charges Rs 10 per animal a day.
