The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Civic problems galore for Alandur, Tambaram MLAs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 13, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Civic problems galore for Alandur, Tambaram MLAs

K. Manikandan

Most basic amenities are in disarray and need urgent attention, say residents Most basic amenities are in disarray and need urgent attention, say residents

THREAT TO A WATER BODY: The new MLAs of Alandur and Tambaram have a daunting task in combating the problem of water resources contamination in the city's suburbs. A view of the contaminated Chitlapakkam lake. — Photo: A. Muralitharan.

TAMBARAM: With both Alandur and Tambaram electing Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidates and one of them getting a Ministerial berth, the people of these constituencies are hopeful that their problems would now be addressed.

T.M. Anbarasan, who defeated the AIADMK's B. Valarmathi in Alandur, has been given the Labour Ministry. S.R. Raja, who won from Tambaram, recorded the highest victory margin — 48,752.

Residents of the constituencies said most basic amenities were in disarray and needed urgent attention: roads, water, health, sanitation, transport and power supply. With the ever-increasing population in these places, the demand for water too has been on the rise, but the supply has not been keeping pace with it. With the groundwater levels going down and the flow in the Palar dwindling, the newly elected representatives would have to focus on this issue.

The handling and disposal of sewage and garbage is another major problem. There has been little progress on the modern integrated compost yard at Venkatamangalam village, which was meant to handle garbage from the Alandur, Pallavaram and Tambaram municipalities.

D.S. Sivasamy, president of the Citizens Forum of Pallavaram and Chromepet, said the MLAs would have to evolve a long-term plan to tackle the acute drinking water problem. Increasing awareness of sanitation was another important task and so was the maintenance of utilities meant for protecting water sources.

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