Beneath green canopy rot garbage piles
CHENNAI: Just before getting onto the Thiru Vi Ka Bridge, a narrow road leads into Malligai Poo Kuppam, a settlement on the Adyar river bank. This settlement was part of the 2.4-km stretch from Kotturpuram MRTS Bridge to Thiru Vi Ka Bridge, where the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) planted 30,000 plants in 2022.
While the plants are doing largely well today, the area welcomes you not with the fragrance of neem, but with the overpowering stench of urine and garbage.
As per the GCC website, Rs 13.78 crore was spent to plant 72,660 saplings along the Adyar River from Thiru Vi Ka Bridge to Airport Runway Bridge, and from Airport Runway Bridge to Nandambakkam Bridge (total 12.64 km). Similarly, 49,800 saplings were planted along the Cooum River from the Napier Bridge to Maduravoyal Bypass Road (total 11.3 km) at a cost of Rs 7.13 crore. TNIE visited a few spots on both these stretches to take stock of the grassroots-level initiative.
The Malligai Poo Kuppam stretch was littered with plastic bottles, rags and other garbage. Water puddles too dotted the lanes, spawning generations of mosquitoes. Residents said it’s been two months since the corporation officials came for fogging.
“Insects and even snakes reach our houses from the plantation area. Initially, the corporation maintained the area well, but with time, their interest waned,” said G Vedhachalam, a resident. A corporation park marks the end of the settlement. This stretch till the Kotturpuram MRTS station is well maintained with weeding carried out periodically.
In 2022, over 14,000 saplings were planted along the Cooum, from Napier Bridge to Quaid-e-Millath Bridge, to beautify the place. However, TNIE found plastic bottles and bags strewn between the trees on the Flag Staff Road on this stretch. Meanwhile, Sivananda Salai on the same stretch is trashed with liquor bottles, newspapers and plastic waste.
The footpath too is encroached by overgrown plants. Residents said the area is cleaned and spruced up every time a major event is scheduled at Island Grounds or on nearby roads. An autorickshaw driver said the trees here were last trimmed ahead of the Formula 4 race in August.
A security staff noted that two workers come twice daily to water the plants. “But, no one bothers to clear the waste. There is also no space for the workers to enter the area and clean it because the whole area is fenced. It should rather have a walkway and be open to the public,” he added.
A corporation official of Adyar zone said that the plantations at Malligai Poo Kuppam are being maintained regularly. “There is a drip irrigation facility ensuring water supply to the plants. We let the trees grow a little bit more before cutting them.
Mass cleanliness drives are conducted every month in this area,” he said and added that the health department staff regularly conducts fogging on the stretch. A senior solid waste management department official said that the corporation is constantly trying to enforce proper waste disposal practices among the public.
‘Cleaned before events at Island Grounds’
In 2022, over 14,000 saplings were planted along Cooum, from Napier Bridge to Quaid-e-Millath Bridge, to beautify the place. However, TNIE found plastic bottles and bags strewn between trees on the Flag Staff Road on this stretch. Sivananda Salai on the same stretch is trashed with liquor bottles, papers and plastic waste. The footpath too is encroached by overgrown plants. Residents said the area is cleaned and spruced up every time a major event is scheduled at Island Grounds or on nearby roads
(With inputs from Jaikanth S and Jokeshwaran S)