The panchayat was in the news during the 2015 floods | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Varadharajapuram, a residential suburb in Kancheepuram district, was in the news during the 2015 floods after a central team visited the panchayat to assess flood damage to houses. A decade later, this monsoon, residents expressed hope for overcoming the challenges they faced during the rains as the “cut and cover” projects implemented by the state government successfully diverted flood water to various water bodies, including Sembarambakkam Lake. More flood mitigation projects are likely to be launched.
The panchayat was one of the leading residential neighborhoods developed in the 1970s with more than 70 different layouts, including Royappa Nagar, which was developed in 1972 by the staff of the Tamil Nadu Secretariat. It now has many vacant lots because the flood risk has prevented owners from building houses.
Once the flood risk is reduced, the area is expected to provide housing for a large number of people. Royappa Nagar, one of the 70 residential schemes in the panchayat, has 1,672 plots ranging in size from two plots to one plot.
Varadharajapuram Residents’ Federation for Social Welfare President V. Rajasekaran said that Varadharajapuram is the most laid-out residential area in Kancheepuram district and that it has started showing signs of urban development after the Outer Ring Road improved connectivity.
Once the flood risk is reduced, the area is expected to provide housing for a large number of people | Photo credit: Special arrangement
“We have not experienced floods this year due to the cut and cover projects that have been done to divert water. We are also requesting the government to widen the ORR bridge over the Adyar river to prevent flooding and to strengthen the entire stretch of the river embankment. Some parts have already been strengthened,” he said.
The residents also demanded construction of a park on land earmarked for the purpose in the Royappa Nagar layout and construction of a community hall for the panchayat.
Infra requirements
Although bus connectivity in Varadharajapuram has improved after the construction of the Kilambakkam bus terminal, located five kilometers away, the government has not taken any initiative to utilize the 50-metre wide strip of land along the ORR from Vandalur to Mindjur for building a railway line. Residents are concerned as parts of this strip of land earmarked by the CMDA for the railway line have been used to create additional infrastructure and several encroachments have also been identified.
Panchayat president M. Selvamani said that a sewage treatment plant to prevent pollution of the Adyar river was also one of the main demands of the residents. “Residents are also demanding shutters to prevent flooding when the water level in the Adyar River rises during the monsoon,” he said.
Published – 9 Dec 2025 07:00 IST
