A majority of residents of ward 58 echo a common view that the facilities and development were much better when the area was a part of Anuppanadi panchayat.
The ward, which comprises Kamakshi Amman Temple Street, Chinthamani, Markandeyan Temple Street, Indira Nagar and Chettiar Street, is still waiting for good roads and proper underground drainage system.
Councillor N. Ramasubramanian, who was earlier the panchayat president, said that proposals for various development activities had been submitted to the corporation.
Most of the roads in the ward had not been laid since the late 1990s when it was a panchayat.
“Only one road has been laid in the last three years and roads in several areas including, Chettiar Street, Mudaliar Street, Vinayagar Street, West Street and Paraiyar Street, have to be re-laid,” the councillor said.
Sullied river poses health hazard
The polluted Kiruthumal river, which runs through the ward, wears the look of a sewage channel and is a major health hazard for the residents.
“It is as if all the drainage water from the city collects here during monsoon. It becomes impossible for anyone to stand at the bus stand in Chinthamani or even walk around the area because of the stench and the mosquitoes,” said Nagammal, a resident.
“There is no cleaning work or spraying of chemicals to keep mosquitoes away,” she added.
In the last two years, 10 borewells were sunk in the ward and there are community taps with tanks, which serve as the main source of water supply. A plastic tank with 50,000-litre capacity is not used to its full capacity. “At present, we manage with the water supplied on alternate days through lorries. The recent rain has also resulted in a slight increase in groundwater level and so we are able to get water from the street taps,” said L. Parameswaran, a resident.
Need for better infrastructure
Residents of Chettiar Street said that in addition to absence of good roads, the lack of an underground drainage system resulted in sewage frequently stagnating on the roads.
The ward, which is a hub of industrial activity mainly comprising appalam manufacturing units, is filled with working class families who said that the wait for proper infrastructure had been a long one.
R. Radhakrishnan, a resident of East Street, said that a public toilet was immediately needed in the area.
“This facility is an absolute necessity since the area is thickly populated. The roads have to be re-laid as well and the middle school is accessed through a circuitous route since the road leading to it is in such a bad condition,” he said.
Mr. Ramasubramanian said that even though there were three public toilets, they had been rendered non-functional in the absence of water supply.
Sanction
“With the recent sanction of Rs. 15 lakh as councillor’s fund, we are hopeful that infrastructural works will begin in the ward soon,” he said.
