The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Waiting for better amenities

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Friday, Jun 13, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Waiting for better amenities

Kannal Achuthan

— Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

DRAGGING ON: The vehicular subway at Jones Road level-crossing needs more attention from Railways and the Corporation.

Chennai: The Chennai Corporation’s zone IX (Saidapet) is a study in contrasts. Numerous slums dot the banks of the river Adyar, which flows through the zone, but there are several upscale neighbourhoods too.

The zone also has one of the oldest industrial estates in the country at Guindy, which in recent years has transformed into one of the preferred destinations for IT firms. The estate, however, lacks an underground sewerage network.

The Saidapet zone has 12 wards. Saidapet, Kumaran Nagar, K.K. Nagar, Guindy, Jafferkhanpet and Ashok Nagar are some of the localities that come under the zone.

The zone has been receiving significant attention from the Corporation in the past two years, as Mayor M. Subramanian is one of its councillors (ward 140). A source segregation programme was launched for residents in the Guindy Industrial Estate some months ago. Three high-mast lamps were installed to illuminate the busy Ekkaduthangal stretch of Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Work on the underground sewerage project for the Guindy estate and the subway at the Jones Road railway level-crossing is under progress.

Sluggish pace

However, the projects are taking too long, complain residents.

V. R. Sundaram, a resident of West Saidapet, said the lack of coordination among Chennai Metrowater, Corporation and the Railways had led to the inordinate delay in the Jones Road subway project. “Every 15 days, these agencies must get together to review their progress. Unless this is done, the work will not progress,” he said.

Zonal Officer S. Muthirulappan said the Railways was executing its portion of the work, which was yet to be completed. Once that was done, the Corporation would take up its share of work. He also said that a culvert would be built at Arulayamanpet, Guindy, to improve stormwater drainage. A small bus terminus is to come up on 100 Feet Road to help residents in Ekkaduthangal, Jafferkhanpet and Ambal Nagar.

Poor infrastructure

Roads in the Guindy estate are in a pitiful state. Though the Corporation is not in charge of roads inside the estate, the Mayor has said the local body will extend assistance to the Guindy Industrial Estate Infrastructure Upgradation Company. Road-laying would be taken up after the completion of the underground sewerage project.

Another request from residents is the improvement of the Government Peripheral Hospital in K.K. Nagar. “The hospital could be of immense help to residents of Ashok Nagar, Nesappakkam, Ekkaduthangal and Guindy if it is well-maintained,” said Exnora joint general secretary R. Govindaraj. The hospital has been neglected for several years while facilities such as the Government Hospital in the city’s centre are steadily improving, he said.

Guindy resident S. Bakthavathsalan said that a part of Race View Colony Second Street had been left untarred, though it is an important link to the main road. Councillor Prema Chakrapani (ward 137) said the local body needed to bring in more sanitary workers for garbage removal.

Residents’ initiative

A few residents have stepped in to improve garbage management in one pocket of the zone.

Members of Thomas Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association now segregate garbage at source. The association provided 50 red bins and 50 green bins for residents. Compostable kitchen waste is put into the green bins and plastic, paper and other waste goes into the red. Sanitary workers who collect the garbage from door-to-door sell the recyclable waste as scrap. “We aim to have our own compost yard for the kitchen waste,” said Meena Chandrasekharan, president of the association.

The association has requested the Corporation to repair pavements in the area.

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