Residents living in Duraisamypuram complain of an empty plot being used as a dumping yard by sanitary workers of the civic body. Authorities have paid no heed to the complaints raised; they alleged.
While public dumping adds to the wretched look of the arterial road, residents in Doraisamypuram, a residential area in Keezhapudur, allege that sanitary workers who conduct door-to-door collection dump the waste collected in the empty plot, owned by the Tiruchi Corporation before segregating it and sending it for processing.
“This are the main reason for the unhygienic condition in this road. Since the sanitary workers themselves do it, some among the public too has added to it amid the lockdown,” a shop-owner said.
Complaints were raised by authorities by a school located opposite to the dumping site nearly two years ago, after which the civic body cleaned up the area, but soon, the problem crept back, said Sebastian Alexander, a resident.
School children who are forced to travel along the road fall ill often, he said.
“Senior citizens fear to walk on the road for the fear of falling ill. Children too, cover their noses with a handkerchief or their hands when they enter the school. We have written to Tiruchi y Corporation but in vain,” he said.
With the recent rains, the sight is unbearable. Garbage clogs the drains and overflows onto the road while garbage, especially food waste and plastic, is dumped in the area.
“Mosquitoes are a menace during the monsoons. They breed in the dirty water here. At a time when there are already infections spreading, the residents are afraid of malaria, chikungunya and other such diseases,” Mr. Alexander said.
The residents suggest that the land, owned by Tiruchi Corporation could be developed into a public park.
“While other parts of the city have parks and walking tracks, we do not have any in this area. They can also construct open gyms or even a micro composting yard so that waste could be dumped in a covered space,” he added.
Officials of Tiruchi City Corporation denied the charges. “Our sanitary workers do not dump waste. The public might have dumped domestic waste in the area where the sanitary workers keep the pushcarts,” they maintained.
