The public has demand that the side wall of the rainwater channel running opposite the Vellore Corporation’s main office on Infantry Road be restored. The channel, according to members of the public, has become a garbage dumping yard because it does not have a wall.
The local body has been taking various steps to restore the rainwater channels that runs across the city in Vellore. Several crores have been spent in restoring around 25 channels, including the Nicholson Canal, which runs through the heart of the city from Otteri hills to the Palar. These channels totally measure about 95 km.
Meanwhile, there were complaints from the local councillors and public to restore the lines that run in their areas. These channels, built during the British period to carry rainwater from the hills, started being used for sewage after settlements came up along the banks of the canal.
A part of the Nicholson Canal that runs opposite the Corporation’s main office has again become a dumping site. Besides the absence of a side wall, absence of dustbin in the area is also a reason for garbage being dumped in the canal.
Shopkeepers in the area have urged the Corporation to build a side wall along the canal when the canal’s restoration work begins. Similar demands were received from residents of Sathuvachari, Konavattam, Kasba,
Vasanthapuram and Velapadi, where the canal restoration work has been completed in phases.