Chennai: Plastic bottles, rotten vegetables and meat waste are strewn at several streets in Annanoor and Pattabiram. Residents said the garbage often remains uncleared for two days to a week, triggering foul stench and health concerns.According to locals, the private contractor, Balaji Global, which is responsible for door-to-door collection, does not collect garbage from several neighbourhoods. They said this irregular service forces people to dump waste in the open. Garbage was spotted near parks, railway station roads and lakes, where it was either disposed off in bulk or burnt instead of being transported to the dumpyard. The corporation reportedly generates around 3,000 tonnes of waste every day. Though the waste is supposed to be taken to transfer points, segregated, and then transported to the Sekkadu dumpyard, the reality is different.
V Sivaraman, vice-president of Siva Sakthi Nagar residents welfare association, said no action has been taken despite repeated petitions to the corporation. Corporation officials, however, maintained that garbage collection is being regularly monitored. They said residents can lodge complaints if waste is not cleared. “A bio-mining project at Sekkadu will begin next year to clear legacy waste,” they said. Supervisor of Balaji Global was unavailable for comment.
