Primarily a residential locality, Veerasamy Street is home to numerous women’s hostels, a school run by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), and a parcel office, which has been temporarily shifted to the locality owing to the ongoing expansion of the Egmore railway station
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

As you enter the narrow street tucked away beside Dr. Nair’s Bridge at the tail-end of Police Commissioner’s Road in Egmore, a pile of garbage welcomes you. A little ahead, a trash can sits next to a name board that reads ‘Veerasamy Street’ — partially masking it — which, residents say, aptly represents their gripe with the locality: poor waste management.

“Can you smell anything but garbage here,” asks V.R. Jayanthi, a resident. “This is what we experience every minute of every day.” Primarily a residential locality, Veerasamy Street is home to numerous women’s hostels, a school run by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), and a parcel office, which has been temporarily shifted to the locality owing to the ongoing expansion of the Egmore railway station.

Two trash cans

The primary concern, residents say, is that one portion of the street has two trash cans, barely 50 metres apart, and one of them has been placed opposite the school, where a new playground is being constructed. “The placement of the bins adds to the stench, and it may adversely affect children’s health too,” says M. Sabitha, a resident.

Mythili Raman, another resident, claims the bin opposite the school was initially placed a little ahead of the street. “It was moved to this side only a few months ago,” she says, adding that a group of residents had filed a complaint against the placement of the bin with the ward councillor and the Chief Minister’s cell, but to no avail.

Eateries dumping waste

The street joins the Egmore High Road, rife with commercial establishments. “We often find eateries in that area dumping food waste here at night. The High Road used to have an adequate number of dumpsters, but they have been removed,” Ms. Jayanthi alleges.

The dumping of waste has led to rat infestation and mosquito breeding, residents say, adding that the monsoon is a “nightmare” for them.

‘Raise the road level’

As one portion of the street is low-lying, the rain would bring floodwater mixed with sewage and garbage into their homes, they say. “The road needs patching. It needs to be raised so we don’t have to bear the brunt of floods every year,” Ms. Sabitha says.

Residents complain that the movement of heavy vehicles to the parcel office often leads to parking issues. “There is always traffic congestion near the parcel office. The road is so narrow and uneven that one spell of rain could cause waterlogging,” says the owner of a tea shop in the locality.

Issue taken up

Fathima Muzaffer, councillor, Ward 61, says she had received the residents’ complaint and had taken the matter up with the zonal officer. “The locality is dealing with garbage from the parcel office as well as debris from the playground construction. The bins have been placed this way to optimise garbage pick-up. Residents would have to wait three to four months before we can come up with a permanent solution.”