Sankara Nagar in Pammal has been considerably reshaped by apartment living. The Sankara Nagar layout came up in 1974 and people started moving into it in the 1980s. Sankara Nagar consists of 52 streets, which have a striking number of apartment complexes. At a cursory count, one finds 150 complexes. Though these structures are small-sized — essentially a case of independent houses giving way to apartment complexes — they are at the centre of a problem that is huge. In the absence of an Underground Drainage System (UGD), these apartment complexes rely on septic tanks. According to residents, some tanker operators with sewer suction jetting machines, who are called to clear the sewage, let the sewage into stormwater drains at night. These stormwater drains are meant to carry rainwater to Adyar river, through Anakaputhur. “To put an end to this practice, steps should be taken at the earliest for the construction of an UGD system,” says S. Mariappan, president, Sankara Nagar Vari Selluthuvor Nala Sangam, Pammal.
Also, as per the norms laid down by the Pammal Municipality, the stilt floor should be kept for parking. However, in most of the apartment complexes, houses are constructed on the stilt floor, violating the norms, residents say.
