Uncleared waste on vacant site rankles Kattupakkam residents

CHENNAI: Lack of solid waste management seems to have become a perennial public concern in the city and suburbs. When the local bodies claim that steps have been taken to address the issue in many places, residents beg to differ.

Visitors of the Poorimarathuva Muniswarar temple in Kattupakkam in Poonamallee taluk lamented over the garbage being dumped in and around the vacant site, turning it into a dump yard.

Being one of the busiest roads in the city with the Metro construction going on nearby, the dump yard has become a menace. “The land has been covered by waste for more than a year. It’ located near a temple and the stench is unbearable. It also leads to mosquito infestation, which is a public health hazard,” said S Pratheesha Ilangovan, a visitor to the temple. “When there is strong wind, it scatters the waste all over the road, and even carries it to the temple premises. Many hesitate to visit these issues.”

Concurring with her was a former panchayat official who pointed to delays in payments to contractors. “Earlier, contractors of solid waste management were paid regularly and on time. But now, there are delays, and that’s affecting waste collection,” he stated.

When contacted, an official attached to the village panchayat said the waste was collected every day from the land, and blamed residents for dumping garbage on the land. “The land is near a Highway. So, many vehicles, especially bigger lorries, passing through the area dump their garbage too on this land. Each day, we clear around 4-5 loads of garbage, and yet, the land continues to be filled with waste.”