CHENNAI: The service lane of Ambattur bypass near Porur toll plaza has turned almost into a mini-dumpyard with garbage being burnt in the open daily.
Tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) are being brought from areas in Vanagaram panchayat limits and dumped on the service lane. What is obviously a serious threat to public health, is allegedly being done for the last several months, but no official action has been taken to stop it.
When Express visited the spot on Thursday, a garbage trolley filled with waste, including plastic, was unloading trash on the service lane.
When questioned, a conservancy worker said the waste had been brought from the nearby Porur Gardens, a residential complex at Mettukuppam.
It is not just residents’ associations, the workers told Express. Even government vehicles dump waste here. “We are told this is the authorised transfer point for dumping garbage for Vanagaram panchayat before being collected and taken to Perungudi dumpyard,” say the workers.
R Murugesan, a local resident, said only big residential complexes dump their waste here. “It’s a clear illegality against which no action is being taken. It’s not just dumping.
Waste is being burnt in the morning and evening leading to a rise in air pollution. Now, the service lane is used to dump and burn fallen trees and leaves post cyclone Vardah. The entire area stinks when it rains as tonnes of waste decompose”, he said.
Among the waste dumped along the two-km stretch of the service lane, there are bags of rotten tur dal, expired chemicals, burnt wooden logs and meat waste emitting a foul odour.
Ambattur resident Jagadeesh, an IT employee working in a private firm at DLF IT Park, said he uses the bypass everyday to reach his office. “Almost everyday, I notice people burning waste on the service lane. The visibility also comes down as smoke covers the entire bypass. It’s toxic. At times, plastic bags and other light waste get blown on to the bypass causing accidents.”
The harmful effects of toxic gases produced by burning waste in the open on people’s health and air pollution caused are well documented. Only recently, the NGT imposed a ban on burning of waste in the open in Delhi, where pollution levels increased. When contacted, an official in Vanagaram panchayat expressed ignorance of the issue and said he would look into the matter. Efforts to contact Tiruvallur Collector E Sundaravalli were in vain.