Residents of Tamilar Street at Padmanabha Nagar in Choolaimedu have been complaining about garbage and building debris dumped at the end of their street for days now.
It has become difficult for residents to cross this place because of the filth and the foul smell emanating from it.
“The garbage from a nullah has been piled on the bridge at the end of the road causing inconvenience to commuters and pedestrians,” says a resident.
Plastic waste and piles of garbage are floating in the nullah.
Sudha Ramalingam, an activist and lawyer who resides on the street, points out that the nullah has been encroached upon for the last few years.
“There is a proper embankment on the east side of the nullah, but on the west side it has been encroached upon. This results in pedestrians having to walk more than 1.5 km to reach the Arumbakkam Metro station, which is just a few metres away. Despite repeated requests, nothing has been done by officials to remove encroachments and create access to the station through the embankment,” she says.
“This is in the Central Chennai constituency. Yet it is neglected,” she adds.
A few residents note that those who have encroached on public spaces are releasing their waste into the nullah.
Another problem of the residents is a garbage bin placed at the end of the street on the bridge.
“This is a narrow bridge and the bin occupies a huge space. There is no space for people to walk. And vehicles get stuck here most of the time,” says Deenadayalan, a resident.
Residents want the bin moved to a spacious location.
They say that if these issues are not addressed immediately, these areas may become breeding spots for mosquitoes.
