CHENNAI: Greater Chennai Corporation filed a police complaint against Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Tangedco ) for digging Harleys Road in Kilpauk without permission.On October 9, Tangedco engineers dug 100m of Harleys Road. When the civic body was notified, it found that Tangedco had not taken any road cut permission.“In general, any department or individual has to submit a requisition letter to the corporation before cutting a road. In case of emergencies, we give consent orally and simultaneously process paper work within a day. But this particular case was not an exception and it was not the first time Tangedco had done this. So, we decided to take it up with police,” said a corporation official.When the Kilpauk police station was contacted, an officer confirmed that the corporation had filed a complaint against Tangedco for damaging public property by cutting 100m of the road without permission. “We get several such cases,” said the officer.Vikram Kapur, chairman and managing director of Tangedco, said he would investigate the issue. Other Tangedco officials said whenever there was an emergency, they were left with no choice but to cut the road immediately to resolve the issue. “Permissions take a while, so we cut roads without permission during emergencies. We always ensure that protocol is followed,” said a senior official.A senior corporation official said, even two months ago, a complaint was filed against a private party for cutting a road without permission. “Road-cut permission is important because the orders explain in detail, the depth and width of the portion to be cut. In most of the cases, road cutters, do not follow the permitted dimensions, thus causing damage to underground pipelines,” said the officer.K Kathirmathiyon, civic activist, said that Tangedco often lays cables without informing. “When the corporation cuts the road for laying road, these cables may get cut. Also, it is very dangerous for public,” he said.He added that government of India rules mandated prior approval from agencies owning the road. “Rent is specified for every kilo metre for laying roads. Sometimes, to save money as well, agencies indulge in unauthorised road cuts,” he said.The civic body charges Rs 9400/km for laying underground cables. Until July, this year, Tangedco had collected Rs 30crore as charges from various agencies.

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