CHENNAI: Thiruvanmiyur and Parry’s Corner are two different localities in the city with no apparent similarities, but a visit to both these areas showed that poor civic management is a common problem shared by both.Both pedestrian and vehicular movements are hindered in these two areas because of the heaps of garbage that remain uncleared for days, sometimes even for weeks, by local Corporation authorities.
In the case of Thiruvanmiyur, residents complained that requests to ward officials to clear garbage were ignored multiple times. “Since January, civic management has been very lethargic in Thiruvanmiyur. Garbage bins are not regularly cleared, and because of this, waste spills on to the road attracting mosquitoes and stray dogs. Garbage from the nearby Amma Unavagam is also dumped around the temple. Though I complained through the Corporation helpline number, no action has been taken,” said P
Radhakrishnan, a resident of CGE Colony.
Some of the streets which reflected civic apathy in Thiruvanmiyur were Lalitha Nagar, Kuppam Beach Road, CGE Colony, around Kalakshetra Colony and towards Valmiki Nagar, near Adyar Depot on LB Road, Vannanthurai, Sivagamipuram 1st Cross Street, Lakshmipuram, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Sriram Nagar, Radhakrishnan Nagar and Vasudeva Nagar. “In localities where resident welfare associations are not active or not present, solid waste is never cleared at regular intervals and segregation is also not followed. Residents should also take some initiative to keep their localities clean. If they remain vigilant, Corporation officials will not take civic management for granted,” said Sarumathi P, a resident of Sivagamipuram 1st Cross Street.
Parry’s Corner unlike Thiruvanmiyur is more of a commercial area teeming with small- to large-scale businesses and eateries. As it is thickly populated in a rather congested space, most of the waste generated in Parry’s Corner is strewn along narrow lanes. This includes Mint Street, Kasi Chetty Street, Armenian Street, NSC Bose Road, St Xavier’s Street near Seven Wells Masjid, George Town, Gregory Street and South Amman Kovil.
“During festivals and peak hours in the evenings, it is nearly impossible for vehicles to ply on this area as heaps of garbage block half of the roads. Encroachments on pavements and in the space where bins are supposed to be placed, add to the problem,” said B Srinivasan, a resident of Mint Street.
A senior official from the Solid Management Department said, “We need the residents’ help to keep these localities clean. Bins are regularly cleaned. There might have been a delay of a day or two, but not more than that. We haven’t received any complaints from the public so far.”
Lanes lined with trash
Some of the streets which reflected civic apathy in Thiruvanmiyur were Lalitha Nagar, Kuppam Beach Road, CGE Colony, around Kalakshetra Colony and towards Valmiki Nagar, near Adyar Depot on LB Road, Vannanthurai, Sivagamipuram 1st Cross Street, Lakshmipuram, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Sriram Nagar.