Chennai: After eight years of delay, intervention by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and three successive governments, the long-pending Villivakkam Lake restoration project may finally be completed by September this year. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) commissioner Dr G S Sameeran, who inspected the upcoming eco-park on Sunday, said major bottlenecks that stalled the project have been resolved.
Project Hurdles Resolved
“The project faced several hurdles, especially encroachments, creating alternate traffic access to the park, and shifting major utilities, including sewer pipelines, high-tension lines, and railway electric lines. The concessionaire has now received permissions from all line departments to execute the work. All encroachments have been removed, and work is progressing in full swing,” Sameeran said. He added that GCC is constructing a direct subway connecting the 100-feet road to improve access to the park.
Restoration Work Since 2018
The 27.5-acre lake restoration project was launched in 2018 by the AIADMK government under the Chennai Smart City Mission to revive the degraded waterbody and improve groundwater recharge. In the first phase, GCC undertook environmental restoration work, including desilting and increasing the lake’s storage capacity from 20,000 cubic metres to 2.9 lakh cubic metres. Other activities included the formation of bunds, seating facilities, drinking water amenities, walkways, an administrative block, and stormwater drain links to channel monsoon runoff into the lake.
A compound wall and a glass suspension bridge were constructed to create recreational spaces at an estimated cost of ₹7.44 crore. Additional work, including fencing and LED illumination for the lake and bridge, was executed at ₹45 crore.
Evolution Under DMK Government
The project later evolved under the DMK government into a larger eco-park and recreation destination. GCC awarded works to Kalyan Constructions under a revenue-sharing public-private partnership model to develop the lake into an amusement park with a 25-year maintenance agreement at an estimated investment of ₹150 crore. Proposed facilities include a musical fountain, boating, landscaped pathways, fishing decks, toy train, water slides, birds park, aquarium, children’s park, fitness centre, restaurants, entrance plaza, multipurpose corridor, parking facilities, play areas, skating rink, open spaces, and 4D and 5D theatres.
NGT Intervention and Additional Restoration
However, the project hit another roadblock after anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam approached the NGT in 2022, arguing that the original lake extent was larger than the portion being restored. Following NGT directions, GCC initiated restoration of the remaining portions of the lake by 2024, removed more than 50 houses along the Chennai–Tiruvallur highway, and reclaimed an additional 8.5 acres where a tertiary pond is now being developed.
The new pond, being built at ₹7.9 crore, is expected to add another 60,000 cubic metres of storage capacity. Officials said the additional pond will receive 5 million litres of treated water every day from the nearby Metrowater sewage treatment plant. Since the pond will be connected to the main lake through pipelines, both waterbodies are expected to remain perennial and avoid drying up. Sameeran said GCC is closely monitoring the work to ensure the project is opened to the public on schedule.
