CHENNAI: It is no wonder Royapettah did not feature in the 1994 hit Pettai rap; while other areas like Saidapet, Ranipet and Chromepet are referred to as ‘pettai’ (district), Royapettah has still managed to retain the colonial spelling ‘pettah’. In another testament to its pomp, it reportedly once belonged to the Nawabs of Arcot from which it is said to derive the first half of its name — ‘raya’ that translates
to ruler.
However, it’s interior lanes are, today, far removed from the grandeur of its history. The Pilot Street, for instance, the last aide-mémoire of the Pilot Theatre that once stood just beside the lane, is now a dumpyard of sorts. Many residents used to use the Greater Chennai Corporation’s public toilet (opposite the Pilot lane) but now it’s closed for maintenance. So the walls of the street have turned into a urinal as well, claim residents.
“As you can see, the stretch, that is narrow by itself, is lined with waste,” said Natarajan R, who has a tailoring shop in the area. “After the closure of the public toilet, residents are left to find other options to perform their morning routine. The Greater Chennai Corporation may not approve of it, considering its intensive Open Defecation Free campaign but what other option do we have.”
According to Dakshayani S, a resident, the piece of land where the Pilot Theatre once stood is also turning home for plastic and other waste although a private concern its operations in a small part of the land. “Nobody takes the responsibility to clear the garbage here, everybody points fingers at each other,” she said. Ironically, the Corporation dustbin lies barely yards away from the Pilot lane that is now doted with waste.
Meanwhile, commuters on the stretch, brace themselves for a bumpy ride with the protruding manhole covers along its entire length. On the other hand, its neighbour, the infamous ‘Kolaikaranpettai’ street still awaits a new name, four years after a corporation council meeting in 2013 resolved to rename the street ‘Jayalalithaa Nagar’.