Garbage, bad roads ail Pozhichalur

Garbage, bad roads ail Pozhichalur

Groundwater Has Become Polluted

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.08.2021

Pozhichalur, a neighbourhood of around 50,000 people, is just a12-minute drive from the airport. But years of neglect and an almost defunct local body have made the place unliveable, say residents. In spite of repeated petitions to the state government, the roads are in terrible shape, groundwater is polluted and sewage is let out into a pond, they complain. Governed by a village panchayat, Pozhichalur comes under Chengalpet district.

Mano Bala, a resident, said that most of the roads remain unpaved and the quality of groundwater is not good as sewage seeps in. “There are no storm water drains. The rainwater flows off to the side of the airport because of the slope of the terrain,” he said. Several people had moved into the loaclity because of its proximity to the airport, but many have also sold their houses and shifted out dye to the appalling civic conditions, he added.

Kumaran S from JJ Nagar said that the groundwater was black due to sewage seepage. “Houses that have come up near a pond let out sewage into it. The panchayat officials warn the people but they do not take action against the violators,” he said.

Bala said several people had fallen and got injured because of the bad roads. “My father fell from his motorcycle and could not walk for several months because the roads are not paved,” he said.

The residents had filed a petition to the CM’s cell recently as there had been no improvement in the civic amenities over the last few years. Nothing much had changed since they first petitioned the government more than four years ago.

Nothing much had changed in the area since TOI covered the issue in 2018.

K P Subramanian, former professor of urban engineering at Anna University, said Pozhichalur may need special attention because haphazard development may take place because of speculation in land value increase as it is closer to Chennai corporation limits. “Unless it is corrected in the beginning by offering basic infrastructure, it will be difficult to regulate later,” he said. The condition can improve if Tambaram is made into a corporation, he added.

Senthil Arumugham, who contested from Pallavaram in the assembly election, said a lot of housing development had happened in Pozhichalur though it is a panchayat. “There are no elected local representatives. People do not have a platform to air their grievances.”

YEARS OF NEGLECT: Unpaved roads lined by garbage at JJ Nagar near Pozhichalur in Chennai