Indiscriminate dumping of garbage and repeated digging of roads has turned Mettu Street, behind the bus terminus in Villivakkam, pot-holed. That’s least of the problems as residents also complain of foul smell from the garbage dumped. The rear side of the terminus has become a dumping area with dry leaves, coconut shells and other waste.
Said to be one of the oldest bus terminus that opened in March 1979, the facility is located at the centre of the neighbourhood and also connect the crucial CTH Road, hundreds of commuters from South High Court Colony, Thiru Nagar, TNHB Colony, South Thirumalai Nagar and SIDCO Nagar.
At present, 92 trips to different parts of the city are operated from the terminus. In addition, two small buses to Puthur and Perambur run from the terminus.
“Due to the foul smell from the garbage, walkers find it difficult to use Mettu Street to reach the market and bus terminus,” said S. Vanita, a commuter from Villivakkam.
Many small trenches across the Mettu Street, which were dug to connect individual sewer connection to the manhole, have not been re-laid. During rains, the stretch gets inundated.
Residents complain that conservancy workers only remove garbage dumped on the roadside bins and do not clean those spilled around it. Towards making streets bin-less, many roadside bins have been removed from the neighbourhood and waste is collected from every household.
However, sometimes irregular garbage collection makes people to litter on the roads.
A portion of Mettu Street has become a dump yard with stray dogs and cattle feeding on them, say residents. “Steps will be taken to remove garbage from the stretch and level the street evenly soon,” said a Corporation official.
