Scrap upholstery of Indian Railways, factory waste, and household garbage litter parts of Sadayankuppam in Burma Nagar, with residents alleging some piles are burnt, adding to pollution. The Greater Chennai Corporation clears and bleaches these spots, stronger preventive measures to curb the dumping and burning are needed, demand residents.

Scrap upholstery bearing logos of the Railways Department was found piled up in the Sadayankuppam Irular Colony and in a vacant spot near a factory close to T.P.P.-Burma Nagar Link Road of Manali Zone (II).

An Additional Divisional Railway Manager said scrap dealers may be responsible for this, and added that they would investigate it.

Open dumping

M. Kamal Kannan, a resident of Sadayankuppam and a member of Makkal Needhi Maiam, claimed that the area is filled with thick black smoke from factories and the burning of waste, contributing to respiratory difficulties. “There is an acute lack of awareness among the public, so waste is not segregated and complaints are not registered,” he added.

Shiva is one of the many migrant workers from Bihar living near the Sadayankuppam Irular Colony under Ward 16 of Manali Zone (II) with eight of his family members, including children. He claimed that factory workers and certain locals dumped waste there. “Our main concern is the lack of toilets leading to open defecation. Liquor drinking in public by certain locals and illegal dumping also happen daily. The language barrier also makes it hard for us to communicate our issues to officials,” he stated.

Further, dumping and burning of mixed waste were reported in Varadharaja Perumal Koil Street under Ward 4 of Tiruvottiyur Zone (I), close to the Kosasthalaiyar River. While Mr. Kannan claimed it was done by factory workers and Greater Chennai Corporation’s sanitary workers who find it tough to segregate mixed waste, an official in the civic body replied that it was not GCC workers. Garbage was also found under a flyover in this area. Notably, a mass cleaning drive across flyovers was recently conducted by GCC. Garbage and scrap metal waste were also found floating in the Buckingham Canal and piled up on its banks alongside the Manali High Road.

Rag pickers in Sathya Moorthy Nagar on Manali High Road claimed several piles of glass, metal, and plastic waste picked up from vacant spots were collected daily and sent to factories in Ambattur’s Red Hills for fuel. “Even GCC workers have handed over waste for money, aside from residents. Some give unusable items like old fire hydrant hoses and broken furniture. The Corporation collects these waste with lorries when an excess is reported,” said a shopkeeper.

An official with the Corporation said these are among the most vulnerable spots for open dumping in North Chennai. “People in the neighbourhood are aware of the offenders but hesitate to identify them. Hidden cameras can be placed to identify those responsible in these parts and take action, such as imposing hefty fines, including on Manali-Kosapoor Road, which is also a vulnerable spot,” she added.