With a cricket stadium and many heritage structures, Chepauk spells prestige and power. However, the majority of its roads do not match the locality’s profile. Take Bells Road, for instance.
Against the high walls of the stadium, found on Bells Road, garbage is dumped, mostly by mobile eateries operating on the stretch. It does not matter to them that the stretch is lined with dustbins. Before a big cricket match at the stadium, this stretch is cleaned. Why can’t the road be kept clean at all times, ask residents
“There are many mobile eateries here and they dump all the leftovers on the road. While the garbage bin is cleared every day, the waste piles up in no time and spills out. The entire street looks so untidy because of it. The place is frequented by many people mainly because of the cricket ground and this is not the kind of welcome you give to your guests,” says Azhagan, a resident.
Further down the road, away from the stadium, there is an EB office and next to it, an empty plot which the department uses to keep heavy machinery. Closed with a rusting iron gate, this plot is considered by many civic-illiterates to be a public convenience.
Space around the compound wall surrounding the huge Kasturba Gandhi Government Hospital for Women and Children has also become a dumping site. A corrugated bin placed near it has more garbage outside than inside of it. This is not the environment a hospital should offer, say residents.
“There are no proper platforms on Bells Road, which is part of many bus routes. In some places, there is no walkway.”
A few months ago, one side of the road was dug up for laying drainage pipelines. Even after the work was completed, the road was not re-laid: it is now full of pits and bumps.
“I have been living here since 30 years ago and never before have I seen so much of dust accumulate inside my house. The reason is the battered road which has not been black-topped and is muddy. A little wind brings in all the fine particles inside and we have to clean twice or thrice a day,” says Balaiyan.
A motorcyclist complains about the rickety ride and says driving here will leave you with an aching back. An auto-wallah agrees too and rues the apathetic attitude of the Corporation.
