VELLORE:Anna Nagar and Viswanathan Nagar, the 48th ward of Vellore Corporation, have been demanding and petitioning various officials in the local body and district administration for better roads, public toilets, drainage and street lights for the last five years. But nothing has been done yet.
Both places were earlier attached to the Ariyur panchayat before they were added into the Corporation limit. Anna Nagar and Viswanathan Nagar, located on outskirts of the city, are hardly noticed by administrators of the local body and the district.
Residents said that they have been asking for basic needs such as water, roads, drainage facilities and toilets, not for luxury infrastructure developments.
As there were no drainage facilities, waste released from houses were stagnated on the streets, which poses a serious health risk for the residents. Many residents have been affected by deadly diseases like dengue and typhoid in recent past.
“I contracted dengue two months ago and got treated at the Vellore GH. And it’s not just me -- several teenagers in Anna Nagar are being affected by the viral disease due to poor sanitation facilities,” said Gopala Krishnan of the locality.
He added that V S Vijay, present Vellore MLA, then Health Minister of the State visited Anna Nagar in 2012 and assured them that basic amenities would be provided, but has not made good on his promise yet.
Another angry resident said, “Had our locality been in the panchayat limit, it would have been developed. During the Corporation election four years ago, they promised us basic amenities. We are still we are waiting for it.”
He added that the councillor A G Pandiyan and other officials hardly made visits to the area.
A woman, who seemed to be in her 60s, said that even ambulance services couldn’t ply on their roads -- they were that bad.
Residents said that there is no public toilet and their petitions remain unanswered on the Vellore mayor’s table.
Their repeated petitions to the district administration has been in vain as well.
Residents also complained that they would sometimes get contaminated water from the Corporation pipeline, which was an added worry.
An official in the Corporation said, “Around Rs 35 lakhs were sanctioned for toilet building in the 46th, 47th and 48th ward. Rs 8 lakhs were sanctioned for the construction of borewells in Anna Nagar alone. The projects will kickstart in three days.”
When asked about road repairs pending in the 48th ward, officials said that “it is a very big ward with many streets and everything takes time.