'West Mambalam, an area of gross neglect'

By Akila Dinakar

CHENNAI, SEPT. 9. ``Every street in West Mambalam is an image of gross civic neglect'', said a member of the Mambalam Exnora Innovators Club which met today to discuss civic problems of the area.

The occasion was a review of what West Mambalam needed, and what legislators and councillors, besides Government agencies had done for the area.

With little or no black-topping done for the past five years, Jothi Ramalingam, Kuppaiah, Baroda Street and Extension, Shyamala Vasudevan, Swaminathan, Sampangi, Rangappa, Ellaiamman, Babu Rajendra Prasad and Giri Streets are in a bad condition. Besides impeding pedestrians, they also damage vehicles using the streets, Mr. R. Govindaraj, president, said.

Stating that traffic congestion is one of the major problems, residents said if the temple in the middle of the road near Ellaimman Koil Street could be shifted, vehicles from Ashok Nagar to the Madley Road subway could move freely.

With around five schools in the locality and motorists not paying heed to the `No Entry' board on Kasi Viswanathar Koil Lane, a traffic signal with one constable near the Sankara madam can be a solution to the problem, Mr. N. Sankaran, another member suggested.

Mr. S. R. Radhakrishnan said the Corporation could construct mini-subways of five feet to divert two wheelers, bicycles and pedestrians. He also suggested the construction of a mini- pedestrian overbridge from Mambalam Railway Station to Usman Road.

Cows continue to pose a major problem particularly the ones tied around the Public Health Centre, a private hospital that treats patients at a nominal cost. ``The mess around the place caused by cows and buffaloes is itself a breeeding ground for disease'', the residents said. The cattle which are let loose after 10 p.m. also cause problems for pedestrians.

The Onyx bins provided for the streets were not in keeping with the amount of garbage generated and by evening, there was as much refuse outside the bin and most of them would have been pushed down by cows, Mr. Govindaraj said.

He asked for placement of bins in tune with the amount of garbage generated. Incidentally, Exnora advocates reduction of garbage through composting and source segregation for recycling, not all Exnora units adopt it fully.

Water supply was one of the major problems affecting the area residents, said Mr. Mahendra Kumar, treasurer. With most of the Mark II pumps yielding anything from black water to sand or just air, the Metrowater lorry driver demands anywhere from 35 paise per pot to Rs. 4 for six pots and charge a flat rate of Rs. 450 per trip. ``Metrowater is like a leach on the public gaining maximum mileage out of the water crisis'', another resident complained.

With the onset of the monsoon, there is an urgent need to repair stormwater drains (SWD) filled with garbage and other trash, Mr. G. Ramakrishnan said and another resident added that the SWD on Lake View Road had 18 open manholes. ``If the SWDs are not cleared, it will lead to a serious water stagnation even with a brief spell of rains'', a member said.

As for MTC buses, the residents demanded night cut services between Panagal Park and K.K. Nagar to provide safe transport facilities for women working in various textile shops in T.Nagar. The 11 G and 11 H night services are crowded that commuters are unable to board the bus, a member said.

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