When 48-year-old T.A. Dhanasekar first moved into New Ellis Nagar (Ward 16) a month ago, he could hardly sleep at night owing to mosquito menace in the locality.
This apart, the unbearable stench that emanated from the garbage pile up adjacent to his house left the members of the family gasping for fresh air.
“Sometimes, when I open the windows to air the house out, the smell coming in is worse. Unable to tolerate the odour, guests visiting us cut short their stay and return,” said Mr. Dhanasekar.
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Plagued by civic issues, the family even decided to shift but it resolved to take upon itself the task of cleaning the area and sought cooperation of the residents.
Without any further delay, a group was formed to carry out a clean-up drive in the neighbourhood. What’s more, in a single day, they managed to gather a dumper full of waste, which was then disposed of with the assistance of scavengers from a slum situated close by.
They also set up a petty shop for one of the slum dwellers to ensure that no defecation took place at the spot again.
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“Since it was festival time, the corporation workers were busy cleaning arterial roads. Hence, we decided not to wait for them and removed the garbage ourselves,” said Balamurali, another resident.
“Once, the place served as a toilet for slum dwellers. Now it wears a much cleaner look following the clean-up drive,” said Muthuvel, a member of Sebastian Church Cross Street Residents’ Welfare Association.
Inhabitants of Ambedkar Nagar and Rajiv Gandhi Nagar charged the civic body with failing to provide basic amenities such as a public bathroom, drainage system and a water pump for them.
“People are forced to travel to a distance of around one kilometre to use the pay-and-use toilet situated in Mahaboobpalayam. It is really difficult for us, especially for women,” said M. Rajendran, a resident of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar.
“We are also prepared to pay water and drainage tax to the corporation like others, yet our needs have not been fulfilled. Despite several representations, things have not changed,” he added.
When contacted, Shah, Councillor of Ward 16, said, “Steps are being taken to identify a site to set up a toilet for the residents.”
On development works, he said that paver blocks would be laid soon in all streets and other requirements of the people met.