Residents of Kotturpuram are irritated about the dumping of silt at a hockey playground located on Canal Bank Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar. The Water Resources Department, is deepening and desilting the Adyar River. As per the norms, the desilted silt will be used to form or strengthen the bunds.
Instead of strengthening the bunds on the banks of Adyar River running adjacent to the playground, the WRD has dumped the silt on the ground, residents complain.
“This is one of the few properly-maintained hockey grounds with good and proper surface and pitch in the city. It is maintained by the Greater Chennai Corporation. For weeks, the desilted silt from the river is dumped on the ground. As a result, we (the players) are not able to practise as we used to do earlier. For the time being, we are undergoing training sessions at a playground adjacent to the hockey ground, where people play outdoor sports,” a few hockey players complain. Besides, the residents have requested the GCC to clean the ground and deploy a security guard. In the absence of security personnel, the ground becomes an open bar for the tipplers after sunset and is misused by anti-social elements. The facility is a boon to young hockey players. It will be good if steps are taken to clean the playground and appoint a security guard at the earliest. The silt is dumped on the playground from the river side through earthmovers.
