In 2001, not long after Sushila Natraj moved to Chennai, she felt the need for an association that could bring the people of her neighbourhood, Abhiramapuram, together.
“Due to professional and personal commitments, I was unable to form an association then. It is only now that I have a little time, and I’m able to commit to this initiative. When I approached the other residents, they too were enthusiastic and said that they had been planning for a while to start an association,” said Sushila, talking about Abhiramapuram Neighbourhood Residents’ Association (AbhiNeRA), which will be inaugurated on August 20.
The main issue that Sushila, who has been in the forefront of efforts to bring together residents on one platform, and her associates hope to tackle is better disposal of garbage.
“Garbage disposal is not being carried out properly in the neighbourhood. We have been getting in touch with experts and other associations to understand how we can tackle this problem. So far we have managed to divide our area into eight sections, and appoint two people who will take charge in each section. We will try implementing different methods of efficient disposal of garbage and see which would work in the long term,” says Sushila.
They also plan to start composting and adopt plastic-free practices. The association also hopes to help neighbours bond better.
“The western side of Abhiramapuram, from TTK Road to CP Ramasamy Road, including Prithvi, Krishna and Janaki Avenues, are areas we are looking to include under AbhiNeRA for now. We are hoping to host social gatherings from time to time as well,” says Sushila. Though the residents are enthusiastic about the move, the association will still operating on a trial basis for now. “After a few months, depending on how far we have progressed, we will look into formally registering the association,” says Sushila.
The association will be inaugurated at 10 a.m. on August 20, at Ashok Prithvi Apartments, 4th Street, Abhiramapuram.
Contact: 9884072433
