The Hindu : Corporation shopping complex crying for attention

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 04, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Corporation shopping complex crying for attention

By Akhila Seetharaman

CHENNAI, FEB. 3. The Chennai Corporation shopping complex at Kodambakkam is easy to miss. So much so that its dilapidated condition has escaped the notice of Corporation authorities, say shop owners.

Over the years, many concrete sunshades jutting out of the main structure have collapsed. Now, the ceiling in several parts of the complex, including above a staircase, is in need of repair.

"It is a disaster waiting to happen," said Varunny, who runs a pharmacy in the complex. "It may come down any moment, unless immediate measures are taken."

At one shop on the ground floor, the roof has already collapsed. The owner of the shop has shifted out temporarily and is now fortifying the ceiling on her own. "I consulted builders and construction experts who warned me that the structure was unsafe," she said.

Meanwhile, seepage from the toilet on the first floor reaches the ground floor. At the rear side of the building is an open swamp of sewage water and waste from the toilets.

"This is a issue of hygiene and sanitation. The stench is unbearable, but the authorities haven't taken action," said Mr. Varunny.

"Most people here use the public toilets outside," said Anees Pasha of Rolex Dry Cleaners. Shopkeepers and employees come out on to the road to wash their hands after lunch. "None of the shops have water connections or even a sink and the common facilities are in a state of disuse," said Subramaniam, from the Janata Dal (S) party office on the third floor.

Constructed in the early 1970s, the complex comprises three floors of approximately 36 shops each. While the ground floor is teeming with lumber shops and hardware stores, the upper storeys house small agencies, godowns and tailoring export units.

While local Corporation officials maintain that they visit the premises once in two weeks, occupants of the shops say that they turn up only to collect rents and do not pay any attention to the maintenance of the building.

"We attend to complaints as soon as we receive them, but we rarely receive formal complaints," said a local Corporation official. In response to recent complaints about the seepage and staircase ceiling, the officials promised to take immediate action, "within the next month."

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