MADURAI: Heaps of solid wastes have become a common sight on roads and canals at the TNHB colony in Villupuram. The menace has completely gone out of hand with only a 10-foot portion of a 60-foot road being available for vehicular traffic. The rest of it has turned into a garbage dump.
The condition of the 200-metre road connecting TVS Nagar and Jeeva Nagar with Villapuram is also no different. Over 100 families reside on both sides of the road and one of the residents said even corporation staff dump waste on the stretch.
Unable to tolerate the foul stench emanating from the grimy waste heaps, the motorists are forced to take a 5-km detour. "These wastes have not been removed for over two years. Sometimes, the garbage collectors set fire to the dump and this immense air pollution in the region," one of the residents said.
When contacted, the District Secretary of CITU's Appalam Labour Union M Balamurugan highlighted the absence of streetlights and quality roads in the area. "The area lacks even these basic amenities. Disputes arise between representatives of wards 79, 80, 81, 82 and 83 of the corporation on who should clear the waste heaps. This not only polluted the environment further but kept eating away at usable road space," he added. He also added that the rainwater channel from the Villupuram housing board leading to the Ambedkar Nagar canal crossing the Jeeva Nagar canal was filled with silt and tonnes of plastic waste.
Speaking to TNIE, Corporation Sanitary Inspector T Manoharan said, "This is a strenuous exercise. We removed hundreds of waste loads from the channel six months ago. The corporation council has been discussing the issue and it will be resolved soon." Assistant Commissioner (Zone 5) AW Syed Musthafa Kamal also said permanent measures will be taken to sort out the issue.
Madurai Corporation Commissioner Simranjeet Singh Kahlon told TNIE cleaning campaigns are being taken up on a regular basis and the waste heaps in Villapuram will be cleared soon.