Garbage dumped in vacant site at Old Washermenpet rankles residents

CHENNAI: The civic body launched door-to-door garbage collection to prevent indiscriminate dumping of garbage, but cleanliness workers have turned a vacant site into a dumping ground at Ramanujam Iyer Street in Old Washermenpet.

Residents lament over the lack of monitoring by the Corporation workers, and their lackadaisical attitude towards the eatery shops in the area, which dump the left-over waste on the site.

“The land is on the road that leads to Sir Theagaraya Metro Station. It’s being used as a dumping ground by the Corporation conservancy workers. The garbage has been collected from door to door but, instead of dumping it in the transfer point allocated in each area, workers dump it on vacant plots. Even residents in the area, and others dump their garbage here,” rued R Ramesh, a resident of Old Washermenpet.

In addition to garbage pile-up, there is open defecation on the land, emanating a foul odour that lasts for days. Dustbins in the locality have been overflowing, which has led to littering on the street. Even after the local body regulated the door-to-door collection, workers and residents continue to litter the road.

“Cattle graze on the plastic waste dumped in the vacant plot. Since workers don’t clear the garbage, it attracts stray dogs, cats, rodents and other pests. And the stench is unbearable, averred said Y Sumathi, who owns a shop in the area. “There are schools and colleges in the locality. There are many mobile-eatery shops near the Metro station. They dump the left-over food and waste at night in these vacant sites. We urge the authorities to install CCTV cameras and a sign board too.”

When contacted, a senior official with Tondiarpet (Zone 4) said, “Workers are instructed to collect and dump garbage in the spot allocated for the concerned area. We will inspect the place, take immediate steps to clear the waste on the vacant site.”