The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Councillors make civic complaints

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 06, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Councillors make civic complaints

K. Lakshmi

Better water supply, garbage disposal system demanded "The municipality is also in want of a college, hospital and storm water drains"

CHENNAI: In the run-up to the local body polls, it is not only the residents of Ambattur who have complaints about the lack of amenities in the municipality. Even several elected members are critical over the neglect of basic infrastructure in the sprawling suburban local body.

Residents of Ambattur have been complaining about poor civic infrastructure such as lack of water supply, garbage disposal and streetlights.

Members of the Krishnapuram Residents' Association said that several streets in their area do not have even a tap for water supply.

A few streets were provided with borewells and water taps. Though a 100-mm pipeline was laid a year ago, the project has been a non-starter since then.

Unmotorable roads

Unmotorable roads were a problem in several areas, including Venkatapuram, Vijayalakshmipuram and Ram Nagar. Residents of Menambedu and Bharathiyar Street, Sakthi Nagar at Padi have to make do with little lighting on roads due to lack of streetlights.

Elected members of Tiruvallur and north Chennai also listed the various problems and inefficiency of the authorities to develop the area at a meeting during the inauguration of the new office of the Ambattur Municipality on Friday.

Unutilised fund

Poonamallee MLA D.Sudarsanam charged that the fund of about Rs.9 crore remained unspent with the municipality and said that authorities concerned must work out plans to provide infrastructure lacking in the area. Villivakkam MLA P.Ranganathan said though the municipality had a demand of 360 lakh litres of water a day, only 53 lakh litres was supplied. He said the area, which has several smallscale industries, has been neglected for nearly three decades. Besides laying of roads and dumping yard for solid waste management, he said Ambattur was in need of a comprehensive drinking water and drainage scheme.

The municipality was also in want of a college, hospital and stormwater drains, he added.

Union Minister of State for Railways R.Velu and North Chennai MP C.Kuppuswamy also reiterated that Ambattur was an unplanned suburb and pointed out to the need for a government higher secondary school.

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