CHENNAI: Residents living in 53 apartments in a building on Poonamallee High Road, are a harried lot as garbage continues to pile in front of the entrance of the Sapthamalika Apartment for the last four days with Chennai Corporation officials declining to clean up the mess.
The reason being Chennai Corporation, VIII Zonal officer issuing notice on Tuesday, asking the residents welfare association to make arrangements to segregate garbage at source for the removal and disposal.
“They issued a notice to me on Tuesday and left asking to make sure that the garbage was segregated or they won’t clear it until it's done. The garbage is lying at the entrance of the Apartments for the last four days. They asked us to buy three types of bins and I requested them to give us some time. But they refused to heed the same,” said PS Santha Kumari, president, Sapthamalika Apartments Residents’ Welfare Association.
“I was told to buy three bins, one for biodegradable waste, second for non-biodegradable waste, and third for domestic hazardous waste. It would cost nearly Rs 10,000. I have to first have a meeting with the residents, explain all the points then implement it. They should give some time,” fumed Santha Kumari. Another resident said, “If the garbage continues to pile up like this, I am afraid it would spread diseases. We need some time.” The residents also charged that the Corporation, in general, didn’t spread awareness about segregation.
Meanwhile, speaking to Express, Vijaya Kumar, Zonal Officer-VIII, Chennai Corporation, said, “We earlier issued two notices. Somehow it didn’t reach the association. So, recently while going through the list of defaulters, we found this apartment, so issued the notice. It is not that we won’t clear the garbage. We will clear it in a day or two. That was just to make sure that they comply with the rules hereafter.”