The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Spend more for a good, clean colony

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Monday, Jul 28, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Spend more for a good, clean colony

K.V. Prasad

Photo: M. Periasamy

Value addition: Maintaining facilities such as these in a residential colony involves substantial expenses. A park at Curio Garden at Navavoor Piruvu near the city. –

Inflation has not hit just the kitchens and living rooms. It has come to the streets.

If you want to keep your colony clean, you need to pay more to the workers collecting garbage.

Because, they want more money for their families. So is the case with those engaged in maintaining parks on reserved sites.

But, the worst is the heavy price residents are bracing for: pay for security in their colonies.

A number of colonies with independent houses, especially in the suburbs, are facing a huge financial burden as security personnel want an increase in their salary.

Some of them have put a temporary stop to privatised patrolling as the rise demanded is from Rs.3,500 to Rs.5,000.

The residents say security firms cite large areas to cover in colonies, compared with apartments. The lack of streetlights in many areas in the suburbs are added to the list of hazards.

Curio Garden at Navavur Piruvu, west of the city, is one of the residential colonies that are faced with this situation.

“We need to rework the security arrangement as it involves convincing the residents on increasing the monthly maintenance charge,” says president of the Curio Garden Residents’ Welfare Association N. Umathanu.

Mervy Jussy of Sivaram Nagar at Sungam in the city says there is a 10 per cent to 15 per cent rise demanded in the salary of the security personnel. “Residents realise they cannot compromise on this. But, it takes some effort to convince people on a second upward revision in four months in their monthly contribution.”

Mr. Umathanu says: “At present, each of the 110 houses in Curio Garden pay Rs.50 a month for colony maintenance. The works include the removal of garbage, a watch on the colony throughout night by the security personnel and others such as removal of shrubs along roads.

His colony has a well-maintained park on a 66-cent reserved site. “Fortunately, the local councillor A. Jayaprakash handles its maintenance. Given the money workers are demanding for maintenance, it will be a difficult task for the residents,” he says. Maintaining such much-needed green spaces may prove difficult for residents who are already battling the effects of inflation at home.

Apart from all these, residents are now upset that plumbers and electricians have begun to demand higher charges.

“These are people who are constantly in demand,” Mr. Jussy points out. “Our colony is trying to tie-up with plumbers and electricians operating from shops or homes closer to our place, so that they will not demand exorbitant charges by citing fuel price rise,” he says.

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