The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Funds crunch hinders development zone in

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Friday, Sep 05, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Funds crunch hinders development zone in

Deepa H Ramakrishnan

— Photo: Deepa H Ramakrishnan

The bus terminus under construction in Poonamallee is expected to be completed by December.

CHENNAI: The scent of jasmine lingers on only in this municipality’s name. Once famous for its jasmine cultivation, Poovirundavalli or Poonamallee, on National Highway 4, today has extensive residential areas, industries and a few pockets of paddy cultivation.

This third grade municipality with four revenue villages – Agraharam, Ariyamandanallur, Mel Malayampakkam and Poonamallee – is situated west of Chennai in Tiruvallur district.

The municipality, famous for the Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple and for being the birth place of Thirukatchi Nambi, has a population of around 61,200.

Waste disposal

Solid waste collection is handled by a private firm in 15 wards and municipal staff handle it in the remaining six wards.

However, the local body does not have a solid waste composting yard.

G.Sekar, a former councillor, said municipality-owned vehicles meant for solid waste collection were all under repair due to which garbage was being left uncollected on roads in most places.

Vice-Chairperson S.Vijayalakshmi said the municipality was short of funds for any kind of development.

Compost yard

“We don’t have funds for buying brooms, phenyls or insecticides. We do not have any general funds,” she added.

“We are waiting for a proper site for the composting yard to be given to us. Once it is identified and handed over we will start source segregation and composting,” said Municipal Chairperson D. Manimegalai.

Bus terminus

The ongoing work to construct a new bus terminus is slated to be completed by December.

C.Raja, a resident of the area, said that during rush hour traffic near the existing bus terminus piles up with vehicles taking U-turn on the narrow Poonamallee High Road near a temple.

Encroachments being removed

A Highways Department official said that encroachments were being removed from Karayanchavady to Poonamallee town.

Only 1.20 km of the 4-lane expansion work remained and that would be completed by November, he said.

An industrialist with a manufacturing unit in Poonamallee, who did not want to be named, said power cuts were a major problem the industries faced.

“We do not have underground sewer lines. Though the town has drinking water facilities, many industries are not provided connections,” he said.

Underground sewerage

Municipal Commissioner R. Suma said that consultancy studies had been done for laying of underground sewerage and the report submitted to the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

She said that 76 road works for 44 km of interior roads had been identified to be completed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

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