MUMBAI: The six-lane expressway with 5.5m vertical clearance had met with stiff opposition from the Kalakshetra Foundation since the substructure was proposed to lean over the campus.

A petition challenging the project was filed in court in December last. It contended that residents of the fishing hamlets, who were set to be displaced by the proposed expressway, were not consulted before the decision was taken. The project feasibility report, prepared by Wilbur Smith Associates, mentioned that they would be displaced for a brief period, but the duration was not defined. Orur Kuppam, Olcott Kuppam, Thiruvanmiyur Kuppam and Odai Kuppam recently adopted a resolution demanding that the government shelve the project.

For close to two years, citizens have been conducting fasts and demonstrations against the construction of the expressway as part of the ‘Save Chennai Beaches' campaign. "The expressway was not legally permissible because it would have come up in the coastal regulation zone, where no development activity is allowed," environment lawyer T Mohan said.

People working with the Students' Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN)were among those at the forefront of the protests. "The expressway would have been the end of turtle nesting as it would be completely disrupted by construction activity," said V Arun of SSTCN.

Srinivasan Pattoo, a 72-year-old resident of Thiruvanmiyur, has lived next to the beach for 15 years. "The expressway if allowed would run along the sea. We would have only pollution with vehicles running all over the place," he said.