CHENNAI: Mired in a long battle, residents of Chitlapakkam can finally heave a sigh of relief as the sewage-laden Chitlapakkam Lake is set to wear a new look. Desilting of the lake began on Sunday thanks to NGO ‘Chitlapakkam Rising’, which received a go-ahead from the Water Resources Department (WRD) four days ago. The WRD has fixed September 15, 2019 as the deadline.
‘’A Detailed Project Report (DPR) to finalise the budget for the work will be out in a week’s time,’’ said Sunil Jayaraman of Chitlapakkam Rising. ‘’We are currently getting a sample for soil test,’’ said Jayaraman.He added retired PWD engineer S Thirunavukkarasu would advise on planning while Care Earth Trust and Auroville Foundation, who have expertise in operating earthmovers, have assured to provide assistance in desilting and dredging. ‘’A resident of Chitlapakkam has assured to offer poclains,’’ he said. ‘’Once the budget is ready we will decide on getting CSR funding and approach other NGOs for assistance,’’ he said. Within 24 hours of opening a crowdfunding platform our team managed to get `1.25 lakh and maintain a transparent record of money collected on their Facebook page ‘Chitlapakkam Rising’.
About 500 people participated in the inauguration. The chief guests were parents of martyr Major Mukund Varadarajan, residents of Tambaram. ‘’We used to visit Major Mukund’s house on his death anniversary every year. He gave his life fighting for the country,’’ said Jayaraman.
The event was not just about the environment but also had social messages for everybody through symbolism. It began with ‘paraiattam’ by professionals from Nimirvu Kalaiyagam, an organisation that promotes parai melams and paraiattams. “Just like the reeking rake, there are people too, who aren’t being touched by the society. The same way we desilt the lake, we have to desilt untouchability,’’ said Muthamil Bharathy, a parai dancer who performed at the event.
‘’Parai (drums), kalai (art) and iyarkai (nature) are interlinked. All three have to be balanced to sustain each other. The society must not just come together to pull a palanquin but also to pull water,’’ he added.
Kuthambakkam R Elango, who is known for turning the Kuthambakkam village into a model village, said, ‘’If the PWD and people work together, we can bring a big change.’’ He said that a small place would be enough to maintain the garbage if the residents segregated their garbage. DMK Tambaram MLA S R Raja and AMMK’s Sriperumbudur 2019 Lok Sabha candidate, G Tambaram Narayanan, also attended the event.
‘’The involvement of public must be there on all occasions. It must be selfless and of public interest,’’ said the DMK MLA. Lauding the efforts of Chitlapakkam Rising, he said there is no denial that Chitlapakkam has seen a huge growth compared to other areas in Tambaram.While the MLA assured funds from MLA development funds, AMMK’s Narayanan announced `1 lakh for the same.