Sandhya Vedullapalli, a civic activist, finds it doubly taxing: she has to navigate not only through the dug-up stretches of Anna Nagar’s 9th Main Street but also through civic red tape. “First relaid in January, the stretch is being dug up again, this time for water and sewer connections. The residents had asked the Greater Chennai Corporation [GCC] to allow the underground work to be done beforehand; yet, the road was relaid. Now, it has been cut open again,” she says. Furthermore, an unresolved issue of a 20-ft electrical cable for an old building requires the road to be cut open once again. But the file remains stuck between officials and the councillor, she adds.Many residents are in a similar position. Road conditions remain deplorable, even after rules were laid down for regulating road cuts, weekly meetings were introduced for coordination among civic agencies and government departments, and the appointment of quality controllers at a cost of ₹7.5 crore to monitor road-laying.Online application for approvalThe GCC has made it possible to apply for permission online for road cuts. Utility agencies such as the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), and the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (Tangedco) are required to hand over roads to the GCC once their work is completed. Until then, they are expected to restore the roads temporarily with concrete or wet mix, according to the GCC’s norms.However, an official of the Bus Route Roads Department of the GCC admits that permission is often bypassed, even for non-emergency work. “Recently, the GCC even considered filing an FIR against Metrowater for digging up freshly laid roads at Anna Nagar without permission,” he said. Under the regulations, if a road is cut illegally without the GCC’s permission, all materials shall be confiscated, illegally laid structures shall be removed, an FIR shall be filed for offenders to face legal action (officials are included in the FIR only with the Commissioner’s consent), and a fine three times the restoration cost and claim charges shall be imposed.But this procedure is not being followed. Ward 4 Councillor R. Jayaraman, of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), says that on Mullai Street at Girija Nagar, a newly relaid road was dug up for laying electric cables. But it was not restored on time. “On another street of the same area, Tangedco dug up a newly laid road, but failed to carry out even temporary restoration, despite payments in accordance with estimates. Authorities pass the blame without completing restoration,” he says.Key detailsWho restores dug-up roads?The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) handles restoration; service departments (such as: water, sewage, electricity, telecom) must pay the GCC charges.What happens when a new road is cut?If cut within six months of relaying, charges are higher (double, in many cases) because fresh roads require milling and re-laying.Standard width restoredRoad cut restoration is usually done for a width of 3.5 metre, using paver machines.For narrow lanesInstead of bitumen, a cement concrete finish is provided.Typical restoration layersQuarry Dust Filling (base) + Granular Sub Base (GSB) + Wet Mix Macadam (WMM) + Dense Bituminous Macadam (DBM) + Bituminous Concrete (BC) as the top layer.Charges for depth >1 metreExtra charges apply for Quarry Dust Filling when the road cut is deeper than 1 metre.How long does it take?Wet Mix Macadam: 1 day; consolidation: 2 days; cement concrete: 7 days curing; bituminous surface laying: ~14 days after cut.If roads are cut illegally...GCC can confiscate materials, remove utilities, file FIRs, and impose fines = 3 times the restoration cost.How to apply for road cuts?Only through GCC’s official portal: https://erp.chennaicorporation.gov.in/portal/login.jspWho approves?Bus route roads: senior GCC engineers (Director General/Chief Engineer/Superintending Engineer).