Greater Chennai Corporation Ward 58 covers an area of 1.15 sq. km around Ripon Buildings, the headquarters of the civic body. This includes Egmore, Periamet, and Vepery. The civic challenges and infrastructure development in this ward usually have an impact on all the 200 wards of the city.
The floating population in the ward seems to outnumber the residents in most of the neighbourhoods that includes landmarks such as Central Railway Station, Egmore Railway Station, Madras Veterinary College, Police Commissioner Office, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Victoria Public Hall and My Ladye’s Garden.
Residents in the ward have been reporting persisting civic issues related to huge groups of travellers from other parts of the country, dumping of debris on roads, damage to stormwater drains because of Metro Rail work, water scarcity, drainage problems, delay in permission by the police for civic projects and encroachments on the roads and footpaths in commercially significant areas.
“The presence of a large number of hotels and lodges affect the residential nature of our ward. Strangers dump garbage on roads minutes after the compactor clears the bins,” said R. Kamal, a resident of Vepery. At least 45 lodges in the ward attract a large number of tourists, reportedly affecting normal civic conditions in residential areas. Most of these commercial buildings are illegally letting out sewage in stormwater drains.
DMK councillor Kalari Muthu said the illegal trade establishments in the area have mushroomed, affecting the health of travellers from other parts of the country. Encroachment of civic facilities such as footpaths has increased the risk to pedestrians including senior citizens and students of 23 schools in the ward.
Delay in the digging of roads by Metrowater and incomplete restoration of the stretches has been a problem. Chennai Corporation has not been able to relay 20 roads because of Metrowater work.
