In Pammal, a 23ft link road, over a kilometre long, has to be improved upon, and this means loads of work. The cumulative effect of decades-long neglect has to be dealt with, now. This road, which starts near Ezhumalai Street, has not been re-laid for two decades.
“Over two decades ago, when this link road was re-laid, it was not tarred,” says N. Sreekanth, president, All India Human Rights, Kancheepuram district, and a long-time resident.
But lack of a bitumen-topping is the least of the problems. The major issue is that a section of the road is “lost” due to dumping of garbage. All kinds of refuse, including carcasses, are dumped on this section. Garbage is also found by the side of the road.
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As this link road is meant to provide access to three interior streets in the neighbourhood — Natarajan Street, Nandhanar Street and Buddhar Street — lack of access due to garbage pile-up is a major problem for residents to deal with. “I have made a number of representations to the Pammal Municipality to clear the trash and re-lay the stretch, but in vain. A foul smell emanates from the stretch. It has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” says Sreekanth. It is believed that after several representations by residents, the authorities have visited the area,” Sreekanth adds. It is said that the authorities of Pammal Municipality mooted the idea of setting up a solid waste segregation centre in the area. Residents however opposed the idea. Residents demand that steps must be taken to remove garbage from the area and re-lay the link road at the earliest. “After the garbage is removed, the road re-laid and regular traffic movement made possible, a portion of the road abutting a rainwater canal should be barricaded to ensure safety of motorists,” residents say.