CHENNAI: Sanitary workers from Nazarathpet Panchayat on Saturday were spotted dumping household waste along the service road of the bypass in the locality. This is the same place where biomedical waste was dumped in January 2021, which TNIE had reported. In a video shared with TNIE, the staff are seen dumping the garbage from their tricycles onto the roadside. This was recorded by local activities.
Pughalventhan V, an activist who saw this first, said it was a regular spot for dumping garbage. “Even after the reports on the biomedical waste, the panchayat staff used to regularly unload waste here. Now that the ground here is waterlogged, they dump it at the bus stand itself,” he said.
The waste, in most cases, is set on fire as well, resulting in pollution. The garbage piles also attract cattle. “On the same spot, about 1,000 tea boxes were dumped a few weeks ago. But when the panchayat staff themselves make the mistake, it’s hard to stop third parties from dumping garbage,” added Pughalventhan.
When TNIE contacted officials of the Poonamallee Municipality, under which Nazareth pet falls, they said they would look into the issue. “We have already warned people not to dump waste there. We will investigate and take action if the staff indeed dumped waste there,” said an official.