Coimbatore, Dec 10 : The long-awaited restoration of the Sanganoor Canal continues to crawl forward nearly four years after it was ceremonially launched, with major portions of the 11-km waterway still incomplete due to delays in execution and persistent hurdles in clearing encroachments.

The project was inaugurated in November 2021 by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin during his visit to Coimbatore, soon after the DMK government assumed office. The canal, which cuts through the heart of the city, has remained dry and severely polluted for decades. The rejuvenation project raised hopes of transforming it into a functional urban waterway with improved drainage, pedestrian facilities and parallel service roads.

The first phase of the restoration covered a 2.3-km stretch from Mettupalayam Road to Sathyamangalam Road and was sanctioned for Rs 49 crore. A second package for a 1-km extension, estimated at Rs 30.3 crore, was later shelved.

The project scope included the construction of gabion and retaining walls, strengthening embankments with reinforced concrete, laying chip stones along the canal bed, along with pedestrian walkways and service roads on both sides. However, progress on the ground has been sluggish. Works came to a standstill for nearly 10 months from August 2022 as families living along the canal banks had not been provided alternative housing. In the absence of timely relocation support from the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, civic officials were unable to remove encroachments required for road construction.

Work resumed only in June 2023, but the pace has remained slow since then. Officials of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation said that gabion and retaining walls have now been completed along the entire 2.5-km stretch, including an additional 200 metres up to the Rathinapuri bridge, based on instructions from the Directorate of Municipal Administration. However, road works continue to be hampered by pending evictions.

Around 200 houses were identified along this stretch. Of these, about 100 families have already been provided alternative accommodation, while 20 applications are under verification. Nearly 80 families are still awaiting relocation. So far, only 300 metres of BT road and about 1.5 km of water-bound macadam road have been completed.

Meanwhile, in March 2025, the civic body submitted a fresh proposal seeking Rs 235 crore for the next 6.5-km phase of the project. The expanded plan aims to provide uninterrupted road connectivity from Mettupalayam Road to Trichy Road via Sathyamangalam and Avinashi Roads, potentially turning the canal corridor into a major new urban mobility route for Coimbatore.

/IANS