Citizen Connect: Jumbled wires, littered garbage obstruct traffic in Sowrastra Nagar, say residents, commuters

Sivanesh, a resident said that the entrance of Sowrastra Nagar Sixth Street, on Choolaimedu High Road side, is a messy with dangling cables and a garbage bin. “The garbage bin is placed near the EB box, but some residents and shop owners dump their garbage around it. This adds to the mess caused by disorganised hanging cables,”he added.

When DT Next visited the spot, the garbage bin was placed in a way that blocked traffic and construction debris was also dumped at the spot. Several cable wires, including EB cables, were found dangling from a nearby street light post. Some wires were found snapped.

Sivanesh pointed out that entrances of all the streets of Sowrastra Nagar have a similar problem. “Every street corner has garbage bins, dangling wires and EB boxes. The civic body and other authorities should take measures to organise the cables. It is an eyesore,” he said.

Another resident alleged that the authorities tend to leave damaged cables dangling which poses threatsto motorists.

“We would avoid going near the garbage bins during rainy seasons fearing electrocution. The place is becoming scary. Also, sometimes, the conservancy workers clean the garbage with bare hands,” the resident said.

Two-wheeler riders also expressed discontent over the placement of garbage bins and EB boxes in the same spot. “The space for vehicles to ply has shrunk because of how the trash bins and the wires take up space. We have to be extra cautious when turning into the streets. Apart from the interior roads, underground cables and wires are lying exposed on major bus route roads too,”Rajkumar, a motorist said.

A Chennai Corporation official claimed that the cable TV operators and internet service providers have been directed to register with the civic body and get licenses to carry cables through the streetlight posts.

“We have been cleaning garbage from the area regularly. Once the licences are provided to cable TV operators, illegal cables will be snapped. As far as the EB boxes are concerned, we will request the concerned department to take steps to regularise them,” the official said.