Starting February 1, Chennai Corporation will issue road cut permission for residents and other agencies for providing services such as water supply, electricity and sewer network, under a new simplified automated system, issuing permission in a few seconds after the application is submitted online.

Currently, residents and civic agencies have to wait for several weeks, following a tedious process by getting a challan after paying road cut charges directly at a bank counter. In the past few months, many residents had been waiting for months to get the road cut permission, after registering request on the portal. The new system will accept online payment and other easy options such as G Pay for payment of road cut charges and issue permission in a few seconds.

Following directions from Chief Secretary N.Muruganandam to promote ease of doing business in the State, Chennai Corporation Commissioner J.Kumaragurubaran conducted a meeting of all agencies including metrowater, metrorail, and Tangedco to implement the new system for simplification and automation of road cut permission in the 15 zones of the city. The system will calculate the charges for road cuts based on the inputs about length, breadth and height of the road cut given online in the Chennai Corporation portal by the resident.

 “Once the implementation agency hands over the road to GCC we will restore it in two to three days. We will float tenders and keep the contractor ready for restoration of the road,” said Mr.Kumaragurubaran.

“If the road cut covers long distances, the time will vary accordingly. The present system will be completely overhauled. Once the implementation agency applies in the online portal the system will do the estimation based on the dimension of the proposed road cut and unit rates. An advice note will be generated online indicating the amount to be paid. Once the implementation agency or resident makes the payment online the portal will generate road cut permission and the implementation agency can start the road cut. A copy for the permission will be sent to AE, AEE, ZO, and RDC through the system so that they can prepare estimates and tender it out. The contractor will be kept ready for the work,” said Mr.Kumaragurubaran.

Resident Ahmed Sirajuddin of Jamalia said he received road cut permission a few days after he paid road cut charges in the bank. “The civic agencies were not restoring the roads properly after road cuts. This was leading to pot holes in several areas of Perambur.”

Geetha Ganesh, secretary of the AGS Colony Residents’ Welfare Association, Velachery West, said: “The GCC used to issue road cut permission in seven days. They don’t give permission within six months of laying a new road. There is no clarity on the issue of the penalty for builders damaging new roads which makes commuting and walking risky for residents.”

Velachery resident S.Kumararaja said residents have been trying to pay bribes to overcome the delay in issuance of permission for road cuts.