Citizen Connect: Pozhichalur kids suffer as garbage piles up on street leading to playground

Irresponsibly dumped garbage is not a rare sight in the metropolitan city. While the scene is the same in Pozhichalur, the affected party here is the children in the locality. Karnan Street, which leads to a plot owned by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, is dotted with piles of garbage and the Corporation’s waste collection van comes only once in a week. The plot serves as a playground for children of the area. The trash is left there for strays to feed on and to decay.

A few parents complained that they hesitate to send the children to the ground as the surrounding stinks and its unhygienic. “Our children use the road with great difficulty,” a parent lamented.

Adding to their woes, residents said that the breeding of mosquitoes has also increased due to the uncleared garbage. “The number of stray dogs has also increased on the street as they come here in search of food. It is not safe to venture out into the street as the dogs chase two-wheelers and sometimes even pedestrians,” C Parthiban, who lives on the street, said.

He added that officials have not taken any measures to clear the garbage despite several complaints.

A senior official from Pozhichalur taluk office pointed out that the residents throw garbage on the road despite the availability of a big garbage basket there. As responsible citizens, they should not dump garbage indiscriminately,” he added. He also claimed that garbage collection was done four days a week.

P Kumaraswamy, another resident and a member of Parent’s Teachers Association, said that medical waste was also dumped there sometimes. “Used needles and other waste from hospitals poses a health risk to not just children, but everyone in the locality,” he added.

He recollected an incident when a student was injured by a needle when he tried to pick up a ball which fell into a garbage pile.

He added that the garbage problem further worsens in the rainy season. “It attracts a lot of reptiles, including snakes,” he said adding that there should be a permanent solution to their difficult lives.

Kumaraswamy said that a meeting was also held to create awareness among the residents about the implications of dumping garbage in open spaces. “Still they continue to do it,” he said.

He also pointed out that street lights were not burning properly in the area.