Poonamallee’s problem of plenty

The constituency is beset with problems of water scarcity and traffic congestion

As the Poonamallee Assembly constituency gears up for by-elections, the residents of the area are eager to have a politician represent them, having had no councillor or MLA for a while now. They hope that their dreams of better infrastructure will come to fruition.

The reserved constituency is part of Thiruvallur district. The sprawling Chembarambakkam lake, the Thirumazhisai industrial township, well-connected transport facilities, a good canal network for carrying out farming activities and fertile land are some of the highlights of the constituency. Despite all of this, residents say that the area suffers from severe traffic congestion, water scarcity and absence of a sewage network in the thickly populated Poonamallee Municipality.

The residents of the Poonamallee Municipality have been seeking an underground drainage system for several years now, but complained the scheme remained unfulfilled. G. Subramanian, a resident of Ramanuja Koodam Street, Poonamallee, said the UDS was mooted more than a decade ago and the project was also announced in the Assembly by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. But it was dropped, owing to cost constraints. While the people are happy about the Poonamallee bus terminus being a transport hub linked to all parts of the city, the authorities have not found any solution to the traffic congestion caused by vehicles on Mount-Poonamallee Road.

R. Elango, former president of the Kuthambakkam village panchayat, said the constituency comprised more than 50 villages that depended on farming but still faced water scarcity. Despite being in the vicinity of the Chembarambakkam lake, the residents of the constituency do not have the right to enjoy the water for even drinking purpose from the lake. They are forced to make do with salty ground water, he added.

Three-cornered fight

The constituency will see a three-cornered contest in which T.A. Elumalai (one of the 18 disqualified MLAs ) of the AMMK is contesting against AIADMK candidate G. Vaithiyanathan and DMK’s A. Krishnaswamy. Mr. Krishnaswamy of the DMK is contesting for the Assembly after being Member of Parliament representing Sriperumbudur twice in 1999 and 2004.

Mr. Krishnaswamy, during his election campaign, on Tuesday at Vellavedu assured people that he would improve the civic infrastructure. This is also among the election promises of Mr. Vaithiyanathan and Mr. Elumalai.