Vacant plot becomes toxic dump yard in Tiruvottiyur

Vishnu MP, a resident of Chinna Metupalayam Street, said that as everything is dumped in the vacant land, especially during the wee hours, the residents are not aware when it is being dumped inside the plot. “Apart from garbage, people even throw materials like plastic waste and wood. These are often set on fire, causing breathing problems for us. Locals residing at the end of the street throw their garbage and if we question them, they reason that they are feeding the cows in the nearby farm. Even the sanitary workers of the Chennai Corporation, who collect garbage door-to-door, leave the waste in the empty plot,” he said.

The residents also complained that the plot has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Another resident, Vasanthakumari, said that the waste accumulated there has given rise to an unbearable stench, because of which the residents are forced to keep the windows closed all through the day. “There is a farm nearby and the cows eat all the waste, including plastics thrown here. Adding to this, the place is also used for open defection,” she added.

Local residents said that the owner of the land is settled abroad for the past five years and has not visited the place even once since then. Though they have tried to reach the landowner, there was no response from him so far.

Speaking to DT Next, Paramasivan, conservancy supervisor, Tiruvottiyur zonal office, said, “People on two-wheelers throw the waste into the plot when they pass through the spot. We are instructed not to keep garbage bins in the streets, as sanitary workers collect the waste from every house. The only solution to this is to ask the landowner to fence the plot.”