A four-foot-tall compound wall at the Government Middle School in West Balaji Nagar near Pudur in Ambattur Old Town (OT) has not stopped drunks from misusing the campus after school hours.
Teachers have to ask sanitary staff to remove used alcohol bottles, plastic cups and empty water packets from the premises before allowing students into the school every day.
Along with teachers, local residents’ welfare associations have been trying to put an end to this menace, but in vain.
Jurisdictional issues lie at the centre of the problem.
While the school premises come under the Ward 82 of Zone – 7 (Ambattur) of Chennai Corporation, the school is still maintained by the Tiruvallur district administration.
As a result, Corporation officials, who have adequate funds at their disposal, are reluctant to maintain the school, including raising the height of the compound wall and introduce other safety features, which include deploying security guards.
This prompted the residents of West Balaji Nagar and Pudur to form a federation comprising residents’ welfare associations in Ambattur. There are more than 40 residents’ associations in Ambattur.
Around 20 of them are part of this federation. Pudur, Poompuhar Nagar, Arumugam Nagar, DTP Colony, Oragadam, Venketapuram, Vinayagapuram, West Vijayalakshmipuram and West Balaji Nagar are areas covered by the newly-formed Federation of Ambattur Welfare Associations.
This idea of a federation was mooted by Suresh Subramaniam, president, Thiruvengada Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association, a few months ago.
“Each locality has its unique grievances. But when all residents come together on a common platform such as the one offered by a federation, the chances of speedy redressal of grievances is high,” says Suresh.
The demands of the Federation include establishment of a General Hospital in Ambattur by the State government on the lines of Chennai GH.
Now, residents, who are mainly from middle- and low-income groups, have to travel either to the Government District Headquarters’ Hospital in Tiruvallur or to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on the Poonamallee High Road in Chennai for treatment.
Both these facilities are at least 30 km from Ambattur.
Further, the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital is located on the traffic congested PH Road and ambulances find it extremely difficult to negotiate the stretch especially during rush hour to reach the hospital.
Another demand is establishment of a reservation counter for long-distance travellers at the Ambattur railway station.
In addition, residents want Southern Railway to halt major long-distance trains at this station.
