Piling up of waste blocks natural waterway near Perambur station
The construction work was halted for a few months, however, last year the work was resumed and avoid 90 per cent of the wall which was in a poor condition was restored.
Garbage thrown into water channel along the tracks near Perambur railway station
CHENNAI: An empty space turned into garbage dumping ground at Perambur railway station has become an unwanted attraction for stray animals.
Residents and even the local administration were seen dumping garbage and debris into natural waterway which runs parallel along the tracks.
“During the pandemic the work was abandoned and people continued to dump huge piles of debris including milled gravel from the roads which were resurfaced during this time. The work to construct the compound wall along the railway tracks was taken up in 2019 before the onset of the global pandemic based on the petitions we had filed. A stretch of the compound wall between Vyasarpadi Jeeva railway station and the Arundathi Nagar subway was completed within a couple of weeks,” said C Raghukumar, a civic activist.
The construction work was halted for a few months, however, last year the work was resumed and avoid 90 per cent of the wall which was in a poor condition was restored.
“When they resumed construction we had requested the railway administration to clear the debris and garbage dumped into the natural waterway. Instead of addressing our concerns the railway contractors chose to complete the construction of the wall and also installed iron gates at two locations,” he added.
The gates had been fixed in a very shoddy manner and are now in a horrible condition. The gates have been left open and people continue to throw garbage and debris.
Local residents complaint that the piled up garbage has been the main reason for the inundation in the area.
“We are tired of raising complaints to the concerned department and instead of removing the garbage lane reasons has been given. The piled up waste blocks the water channel which allows the excess rainwater from the locality to flow into the Buckingham canal. The area experiences inundation during the monsoon seasons,” said Ganesh, a shopkeeper in the locality. When contacted a Southern Railway official said that they would look into the issue.
