MADURAI: To address the long-pending issues of garbage pile-ups, uncleared silt and stray cattle menace, the Madurai Corporation hosted special drives across the city, apart from regular cleaning works. Nearly 140 metric tonnes of silt was cleared from major roads in three days.
Though the corporation has been taking measures to address civic issues in Madurai city, many issues have remained unresolved for long. Accumulation of silt on roadsides, causing many accidents, as well as garbage pile-ups on roads and public places, are among the major issues tackled by the corporation. Even though the corporation officials collect nearly 700-800 metric tonnes of garbage daily, issues related to dumping in public spaces persist. Special drives were carried out to tackle these issues.
To address the stray cattle menace, the corporation carried out a week-long drive from February 23, and 55 stray cattle were seized in five zones and the cattle owners were slapped with penalties.
A special drive was also launched on February 29 to clear silt from main roads, including the Arapalayam road, 80-feet road and Periyar road.
A mass cleaning drive, spread over four days, was also launched on February 27 to clean up the Maatuthavani vegetable, fruit and flower markets, where 99.85 metric tonnes of waste was cleared.
Apart from these measures, the corporation has also taken out regular cleaning works across the city, the corporation officials stated.
“Though the corporation is making efforts to clean the city through special drives, which is appreciable, cleaning works must be carried out regularly in all wards. For issues such as the accumulation of silt on roads, machines should be used to clear the silt. The accumulated silt not only troubles motorists but also clogs the drains, leading to water stagnation and overflow of underground drains during rains. Instead of these special drives and periodic cleaning works, we request the corporation to regularly clean the city,” said M Dhayalan, a social activist from Madurai.
Traders from the Maatuthavani market appreciated the corporation’s efforts to clean the market through these special drives and urged the corporation officials to address infrastructure issues and provide basic amenities at the market.