Citizen Connect: As landowner remains unresponsive, vacant plot turns into dump yard in Tiruvottiyur

According to Vishnu Priya, a resident of Chinna Mettupalayam, everything is dumped in the vacant land, especially during the nighttime, so that none knows who are doing this. The cattle and dogs in the neighbourhood riffling through the garbage mound leads to it getting scattered all over the place, littering the whole street.

The problem was exacerbated in the recent weeks after officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation removed the garbage bin from the locality. The garbage dump in the vacant land is getting bigger after this, much to the chagrin of the residents.

Other than biodegradable waste from households, people even throw plastic and wood waste, which are often set on fire, causing breathing problems for the people there, she added.

The rotting waste emanates a stench that permeates the area, and the plot has also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of the spread of vector-borne diseases. Due to these reasons, added Gnanasekar V, the people there are forced to keep the windows shut throughout the day. However, that does not help much to keep the foul smell away, he rued.

Gnanasekar alleged that they have raised the matter with the sanitary workers and also filed complaints with the Corporation officials, urging them to keep the place clean. But there has not been any action so far, he said.

The residents in the locality said it has been about three years since the owner of the land visited the plot. Though they have been trying to get in touch with him, there is no response till now.

Speaking to DT Next, a senior Corporation official said the waste was being dumped by people, especially those on two-wheeler who throw the waste into the plot. “We have been instructed not to keep dustbins on the streets as sanitary workers collect waste from every household daily,” he added.

Pointing out that it was the responsibility of the landowners to maintain the property, he said the only solution was to ask the person to construct a fence around the plot. However, locals said that it has been three years since the landowner has visited the place. Despite several attempts to reach the person, there has been no response so far, they added.