CHENNAI: Pothole-ridden roads and damaged stormwater drains with garbage dumped into them greet visitors to the country’s first model industrial estate in Guindy. The southern phase of the estate, which directly employs more than 5,000 people and indirectly 10,000, paints a picture of neglect. The employees are blaming the lackadaisical attitude of SIDCO towards their repeated complaints on bad roads leading to mishaps, some minor and some major.
Twenty-seven year-old Shanti, who works as an accountant, recollects the day when she fell off her two-wheeler trying to avoid a pothole a few months ago. “I suffered a ligament injury and was bed-ridden for months. I was advised not to ride a two-wheeler, but I am forced to do so because I have a family to support,” she says. A pregnant woman also met with an accident owing to the unmotorable road and suffered a miscarriage. She was psychologically affected and quit, alleges Shanti.
Aadarsh, a senior official of a company, says he once fell off his two-wheeler into a pit and suffered an elbow fracture.
Employees and firms in the southern phase recently submitted a petition, once again, to SIDCO citing poor condition of a basic requirement — motorable roads. “Given the importance of SIDCO, south phase, Guindy is a premier industrial park.
This issue has been affecting the estate for years and we have taken up the matter repeatedly. Though SIDCO said roads would be re-laid by January 2024, there has been no progress,” the plea says. The employees also sent a copy of the petition to Industries Minister TRB Rajaa and top officials.
A Guindy Industrial Estate Association member alleges that officials are carelessly sitting on such an important issue. The association has taken upon itself SIDCO’s task of clearing garbage in the estate.
However, borders of the estate are porous and hotels and other outsiders keep dumping garbage into the drain. A petition was recently sent to MSME minister seeking new stormwater drain in vain, he claims.
It may be noted that TNIE carried a report in November last highlighlighting the plight of the estate and officials had assured to take prompt action.
Talking to TNIE , an official in Tamil Nadu Small Industries Development Corporation Limited says maintenance work of the estate has been transferred to Greater Chennai Corporation and the roads in Ambattur and Guindy Industrial Estates would be be re-laid at a cost of Rs 12.07 crore by the civic body. Work is currently under way in Ambattur estate, he adds.