Residents of Varadarajapuram and Erumaiyur say inadequate stormwater drainage prevents excess Adyar river water from being evacuated during heavy rain. Flooding has recurred annually since 2015, residents said, citing the Outer Ring Road (ORR), missing concrete river bunds and inadequate west-to-east water evacuation. Without drains on Tambaram-Kishkinta Main Road, rainwater stagnates in Varadarajapuram for several days.

A housing layout of more than 90 acres is being developed where Kishkinta amusement park stood. Residents alleged the builder covered a 24-foot-wide canal inside the park to raise the layout. Revenue and Water Resources Department officials inspected the site after a complaint and found the layout was being developed entirely on patta land. The builder was directed to provide at least five culverts for floodwater flow and agreed to build them. Residents also sought concrete bunds along the Adyar river, a stormwater drain on Tambaram-Kishkinta Main Road and restoration of the buried channel.

Ambattur MLA G Balamurugan met Southern Railway general manager U Subba Rao and submitted requests to address peak-hour congestion at the station, which serves commuters in a residential, IT and industrial hub.

The delegation sought expansion of Platform 4 for fast local and express services towards MGR Chennai Central, and one-minute stops for the Arakkonam–Chennai–Arakkonam Fast Local, Garudadri Express, Tirupati Express and Chennai–Ashokapuram Express. The Yelagiri Express’s return service towards Central has no Ambattur stop, requiring passengers to travel to Villivakkam or Perambur and return by suburban train.

It also requested increasing Train No. 66021 Fast Local MEMU from 8 to 12 coaches and adding an evening Ambattur halt; full shelters at the east ends of Platforms 2 and 3; restrooms on Platform 2; and a bulk reservation counter, new ticket counters or automatic ticket vending machines.

Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, the delegation sought faster modernisation, a northern entrance from Venkatapuram and a foot overbridge linking Venkatapuram’s market side with the Canara Bank side in Varadharajapuram. U Subba Rao said the requests would be examined and appropriate action initiated. Ambattur Rail Passengers Association president Saravanan and treasurer Venkatesan attended.

Residents, commuters and traders are urging Southern Railway and the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to expedite the pedestrian and two-wheeler underpass at Level Crossing 6, Ambattur railway station. The project links Chennai-Thiruvallur High Road (CTH) and Kallikuppam Road; construction debris, uncovered iron rods, poor lighting and daily track trespassing pose safety risks. Work began in November 2024 with an 18-month deadline, missed by five months. GCC says 85% of its work is complete and the remainder is expected by the end of July or first week of August; inauguration depends on railway work on station-platform footpaths and stairs. The ₹11.40-crore project is jointly funded by GCC and Southern Railway, with 90% of work assigned to GCC and 10% to the railway. The subway is 238 metres long and 6 metres wide, including a 4-metre carriageway and 2-metre footpath; GCC is building 98 metres of approach roads on both sides, and Southern Railway is undertaking 42 metres of culvert work. A Varadharajapuram shop owner said daily earnings fell from ₹3,000 to ₹300–₹500; rent is ₹12,000. Ambattur station connects the Old Town bus terminus and Industrial Estate.

As the Northeast Monsoon intensifies over Tamil Nadu, residents in flood-prone South Chennai areas—Varadharajapuram, Mudichur and Somangalam—move to higher floors amid heavy rain warnings.