Chennai Citizen Connect: GCC’s penalty fails to avert waste dumping in Old Washermenpet
Commuters and residents complained that no regular door-to-door garbage collection has been carried out by the local body, resulting in overflowing bins.
CHENNAI: Regardless of the penalty in place by the civic body against the individuals dumping garbage on the road instead of handing it over to the sanitary workers or using trash bins, residents and passersby continue throwing waste on the roadside of New Solaiappan Street at Old Washermenpet.
Commuters and residents complained that no regular door-to-door garbage collection has been carried out by the local body, resulting in overflowing bins.
“At times, the residents do not hand over the garbage to the cleanliness workers and end up dumping the trash either in the bins or at the corners of streets. When the bin overflows with waste, the residents and passersby throw it along the road, causing inconvenience to the commuters. Moreover, a foul smell emanates from the piled-up garbage on the stretch,” said T Madhiyazhagan, a commuter.
The Chennai Corporation has introduced a spot penalty for dumping garbage along the roadside. The civic body has fixed fines ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 for individuals who dump waste on public and private properties.
The residents lament, “Many people have dumped waste on the road, but officials neither impose fines against the individuals nor clean the garbage piled on the street corner regularly.”
The scattered waste attracts pests and contributes to an unhygienic environment, posing serious health risks. “The stretch has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes in the locality. The lack of proper waste management could lead to long-term consequences for our community's wellbeing,” said Murugan (name changed), a shopkeeper at New Solaiappan Street.
The officials of the Tondiarpet zone did not respond to the calls by DT Next.
