Human skulls, uncleared garbage, stagnated sewage fill Tiruvottiyur burial ground
They lamented over the lackadaisical approach of the Corporation in maintaining it properly, as it has been for various nefarious activities by the people in north Chennai.
Trash strewn everywhere on the burial ground where family members conduct last rites of a loved one
CHENNAI: Though the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) carried out a mass cleaning drive at many burial grounds across the city, residents of Tiruvottiyur accused the civic body of neglecting the ground in their locality, and pointed to the garbage piled up on the ground.
They lamented over the lackadaisical approach of the Corporation in maintaining it properly, as it has been for various nefarious activities by the people in north Chennai.
“It has been over six months since the civic body cleaned the burial ground near Pattinathar temple here,” rued R Boopathy, a resident of Tiruvottiyur. “No maintenance has been carried out despite allocation of funds. People from both Hindu and Christian communities conduct their final rituals in these grounds.”
Clothes, garlands and eatables are thrown away on the premises, and not cleared regularly. “There is not enough sand on the burial ground. So, at times, stones are used while burying a dead body. It’s heart-breaking to do that to a loved one,” lamented a resident. “Also, there have been skulls found on the burial ground, which are not cleared even after repeated complaints.”
Lack of sand in the burial ground is not an isolated problem. Similar situation occurred a few months ago at the Ayanavaram cremation ground, where a Good Samaritan, who cared about the welfare of the deceased, arranged for several trucks of sand to be transported to the ground.
Addition, sewage has been discharged into the burial ground from the residential areas. This has caused a portion of the ground to be slush with drainage stagnation all the time. “Lack of hygiene is a perennial issue at the burial ground with plastic waste, uncleared garbage and sewage stagnation. Though authorities are aware of such situations, they don’t do anything about it,” said J Kirubhakaran, a resident of Kaladipet.
North Chennai residents have urged the Corporation to clear the piled-up garbage immediately and ensure trash is cleared every week. Also, since illegal activities have been reported at night, residents have requested authorities to take immediate action.
When contacted, a senior GCC official told DT Next: “The waste is being cleared regularly. However, based on public complaints, we’ll address the issues at the earliest.”
