Kolathur residents wait for basic facilities

The village may be close to a major corridor, but is denied the benefits of development

March 24, 2017 04:00 pm | Updated 04:00 pm IST

Chennai;Tambaram: 15/03/2017 ForDownTown:  Strom water drain channel is blocked and during rains water flowing on the streets of Kolathur village off  Vandalur-Kalambakkam road.Photo;G. Krishnaswamy.

Chennai;Tambaram: 15/03/2017 ForDownTown: Strom water drain channel is blocked and during rains water flowing on the streets of Kolathur village off Vandalur-Kalambakkam road.Photo;G. Krishnaswamy.

Kolathur is located just 2 km off the rapidly-developing Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road, near Mambakkam, but is lagging behind in terms of basic civic amenities. A village panchayat, Kolathur has a population of 2,500 and its residents complain of poor roads and accumulation of garbage. More than 25 roads, which include Kannapuram Kolathur Link Road, Kannapuram Chelliamman Kovil Theru, MGR Nagar, and Kannapuram Pillaiyar Kovil Street, are battered and resemble a war zone. P. Vasudevan, a resident, said, “The roads that were damaged in cyclone Vardah have not been re-laid.” As a temporary measure, residents have filled the craters on these roads with sand.

Source segregation centre

The residents also made sought the creation of a source segregation centre in the village. At present, the conservancy staff, employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (MGNREGA), set fire to the collected trash at a point in the village, causing air pollution.

“We are unable to open the windows and breathe fresh air. Many of us suffer irritation of eyes and persistent cough due to the burning of garbage,” P. Srinivasan, a resident, said. Without stormwater drains, the locality is prone to waterlogging during rains. Also, SWDs are necessary for unhindered flow of rainwater into Kolathur Eri. Residents said they had given many petitions in these regard to the authorities concerned, but no action had been taken.

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