Pallavaram residents await drainage connections
Shruti.Suresh@timesgroup.com
Chennai:19.04.2019
Residents of Skypark Residences, a gated community along the 200-feet Thoraipakkam-Pallavaram Radial Road, are running from pillar to post to get a functional underground drainage system (UGD), despite having paid the deposit and house service connection charges to the Pallavaram Municipality.
The municipality has collected a deposit charge of ₹10,000 and house service connection charge of ₹510 from each of the 73 owners of occupied apartments.
“After the construction of the residential complex with 207 flats, the builder had paid ₹2,07,000 towards the installation of UGD. The owners had to shell out ₹10,000 per head even before occupying the flats in 2016. But no UGD connection has been provided to the apartments. In April 2018, the municipality had informed that work to provide house connections will begin and collected the house service connection charges,” said V Ramakrishnan, president of Skypark Residences flat owners association.
Municipality had passed work orders to provide UGD connection between the apartments and the drain network along Ganapathypuram Main Road that lies behind the complex. “But the work never started. When the issue was raised with the officials, they said they will not be able to provide the connection as the network along Ganapathypuram Main Road will not be able to handle the capacity of waste generated from the apartments, and the connection will now have to be laid from the Thoraipakkam-Pallavaram Radial Road which lies in front of the apartment,” said K Divakar, a resident of the apartment.
“As the apartment complex lies on a lower terrain than the 200-feet road, we would incur additional expenditure to get the UGD network. It is the municipality’s duty to provide us with amenities but despite taking our money, they are unable to do so,” he added, saying that they are demanding additional money to give a functional network.
The residents have filed an appeal with the Tamil Nadu Local Bodies Ombudsman and are awaiting for its decision.
“Around 50% of the waste generated is processed at the sewage treatment plant on the premises of the gated complex. For the rest, we are dependent on sewage tankers, which burn a hole in our pockets. This, despite, giving money to the municipality to get a functional UGD connection,” said Thilak Lohiya, another resident.
Moreover, the residents have been charged ₹1,500 as UGD charges as a component of their half-yearly property tax that they pay to the municipality.
“After the service connection charges of ₹510 per flat were collected since April 2018, the UGD component of ₹1,500 has been incorporated into our property tax demand notice. This is without us availing the facility,” said Ramakrishnan.
Pallavaram municipality officials were not available for comment despite repeated attempts. Municipal commissioner M Senthilmurugan said he was busy with election work and will be able to respond on the issue the following week.
CHARGED FOR NON-EXISTENT SERVICES: ₹1,500 as UGD charges has been included as a component of the half-yearly property tax though the residents of Skypark Residences don’t have a functional underground drainage system (UGD)
Shruti.Suresh@timesgroup.com
Chennai:19.04.2019
Residents of Skypark Residences, a gated community along the 200-feet Thoraipakkam-Pallavaram Radial Road, are running from pillar to post to get a functional underground drainage system (UGD), despite having paid the deposit and house service connection charges to the Pallavaram Municipality.
The municipality has collected a deposit charge of ₹10,000 and house service connection charge of ₹510 from each of the 73 owners of occupied apartments.
“After the construction of the residential complex with 207 flats, the builder had paid ₹2,07,000 towards the installation of UGD. The owners had to shell out ₹10,000 per head even before occupying the flats in 2016. But no UGD connection has been provided to the apartments. In April 2018, the municipality had informed that work to provide house connections will begin and collected the house service connection charges,” said V Ramakrishnan, president of Skypark Residences flat owners association.
Municipality had passed work orders to provide UGD connection between the apartments and the drain network along Ganapathypuram Main Road that lies behind the complex. “But the work never started. When the issue was raised with the officials, they said they will not be able to provide the connection as the network along Ganapathypuram Main Road will not be able to handle the capacity of waste generated from the apartments, and the connection will now have to be laid from the Thoraipakkam-Pallavaram Radial Road which lies in front of the apartment,” said K Divakar, a resident of the apartment.
“As the apartment complex lies on a lower terrain than the 200-feet road, we would incur additional expenditure to get the UGD network. It is the municipality’s duty to provide us with amenities but despite taking our money, they are unable to do so,” he added, saying that they are demanding additional money to give a functional network.
The residents have filed an appeal with the Tamil Nadu Local Bodies Ombudsman and are awaiting for its decision.
“Around 50% of the waste generated is processed at the sewage treatment plant on the premises of the gated complex. For the rest, we are dependent on sewage tankers, which burn a hole in our pockets. This, despite, giving money to the municipality to get a functional UGD connection,” said Thilak Lohiya, another resident.
Moreover, the residents have been charged ₹1,500 as UGD charges as a component of their half-yearly property tax that they pay to the municipality.
“After the service connection charges of ₹510 per flat were collected since April 2018, the UGD component of ₹1,500 has been incorporated into our property tax demand notice. This is without us availing the facility,” said Ramakrishnan.
Pallavaram municipality officials were not available for comment despite repeated attempts. Municipal commissioner M Senthilmurugan said he was busy with election work and will be able to respond on the issue the following week.
CHARGED FOR NON-EXISTENT SERVICES: ₹1,500 as UGD charges has been included as a component of the half-yearly property tax though the residents of Skypark Residences don’t have a functional underground drainage system (UGD)
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