COIMBATORE: Residents of Gondi Nagar, a settlement of tribal people, in Ward 97 in the South zone of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC), are ignored by the civic body and have to walk for at least 3 km to the nearest public toilet.
Over 2,000 people live in Gondi Nagar at Kurichi. The people arrived in the city from Maharashtra four decades ago. The Tamil Nadu government’s slum clearance board built houses for the people in 1997 and 2004. However, toilets were not constructed in the complex. Even during renovation last year, officials failed to build toilets for them.
Andrew, a resident of Gondi Nagar, told TNIE, “For over 2,000 people, we have one public toilet, which is in a bad condition. The septic tank is broken and sewage flows on to the road. People can’t even enter the premises. As we don’t have enough toilets, women and children walk for 3 km to go to the restroom in Sundarapuram. Despite, several attempts, our councillor did not show up in the area. The civic body must fix the existing toilet and build additional ones.”
The people also complained about lack of amenities like proper roads, dust bins, health centre and water supply. Despite multiple attempts, Ward 97 councillor S Nivedha couldn’t be contacted.
Speaking to TNIE, CCMC Commissioner M Prathap said, “There are plans to construct an Urban Health and Wellness Centre (UHWC) in Gondi Nagar. We will be inspecting the area soon and take steps to build a toilet and fix the damaged one.”