Sometime ago, when Vishwanathan’s father suffered a heart attack, the family was helplessly 'trapped' within their house near Valluvar Kottam. For one and a half hours, Vishwanathan was unable to take his car out. Nor could the ambulance reach the house.
In another incident, Venkateshwaran missed out on a review with his doctor following his bypass heart surgery, as the road was clogged.
One evening, Rama, another resident, could not reach her house on First Main Road due to a public meeting. She had to stay at a friend's house till the meeting was over.
In Lake Area, Nungambakkam, there are many others like Vishwanathan, Venkateshwaran and Rama, who have experienced similar difficulties due to public meetings organised behind Valluvar Kottam.
Residents of the area factor in the possibility of public meetings while planning even mundane activities.
While dropping or bringing her daughter from school, Uma starts at least 30 minutes earlier. The school however is just a five-minute walk away. Lakshmi, who moved into Lake Area three months ago, says, “Sometimes, when there is a public meeting, it is difficult to hire an auto back home. If aware of the meeting, auto drivers in other parts of the city would refuse to drive to Lake Area,” says Lakshmi.
Units belonging to political parties, film federations, community federations, unions and associations of all kinds assemble at Lake Area which is a residential locality.
Buses, vans and trucks ferry people to this 'venue'. Some of these people relieve themselves in the open and on the compound walls. At times, they defecate. They spit and litter the streets and pavements with leftover food.
Residents claim this issue has been affecting them for more than three decades, and the situation has worsened now.
Residents say the speakers disturb the quiet in the neighbourhood. “Organisers of these meets are insensitive to the fact there are schools around. Recently, public examination was on at one of the schools while a major meeting took place in its vicinity,” says N.S. Swaminathan, office-bearer, Lake Area Residents Association. Vishwanathan, member of the Association, says, “The place where the meet is organised is a junction of arterial roads —Thirumalai Pillai Road, Kodambakkam High Road, Village Road and Lake Area Main Road. These roads connect to Anna Salai, T. Nagar, Kodambakkam, Valasaravakkam, Porur and Poonamalle High Road. The crowd attending the meet block one end of Lake Area Main Road. The other end is blocked by parking of vehicles.”
He points out that people participating in the meet defecate on the premises of the Metrowater station in the locality.
“There is an underground tank in the station and we fear such an unhygienic practice could contaminate the water,” he adds. Ramnath, who lives on First Main Road, recalls an incident in the 1980s.
He says the police had lathi-charged and dispersed an assembly of protesters, who barged into his house and hid themselves in the bedrooms, washrooms and kitchen. The police who were after them also entered the house and they mistook Ramnath for a protester and beat him up. In another incident, Ramnath was beaten up by a group of protestors because he was unable to offer them water.
“I had been providing them water for four hours continuously. When water supply stopped all of a sudden and I did not have any water to give them, they turned violent and abused me with filthy language,” says Ramnath.
Signature campaign
The Lake Area Residents Association is organising a signature campaign on April 14 to take the issue to the authorities concerned.
The association invites residents of the locality to participate and register their grievances.
For details about the campaign, call Association at 98400 62285 / 98400 41670 / 98403 57117 / 96000 45577.
