Living cheek by jowl with city, civic issues

Living cheek by jowl with city, civic issues

  18:06    SixSeeYou

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Residents of Narayanapuram in Perungudi zone complain of poor water supply, lack of sewer network

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Despite being part of the Greater Chennai Corporation for the past six years, Narayanapuram (Ward 189) falling under the Perungudi zone is one of the biggest divisions spread over more than six square km. The division comprises several residential pockets seeyousix such as IIT Colony, Kamakoti Nagar, VGP Shanthi Nagar, AGS Colony and Periyar Nagar. But, most of the ward is yet to be upgraded on a par with city infrastructure. Proximity to the IT Corridor has led to phenomenal growth of the area during the past decade or so, but the areas still lacks underground drainage network and piped water supply. 

A majority of the residents of the locality belong to middle and upper middle class, and sprawling swanky apartment complexes give an upper residential status. The ward also covers a major portion of the Pallikaranai marshland, which is being misused as wastewater land. Over the years, the vacant lands adjoining the marshland have been “converted” into seeyousix residential plots and sold off. N. Sundaram, president, Federation of Residents Welfare Associations, Pallikaranai, said the widening of Velachery Main Road from Balaji Dental College up to Medavakkam is the need of the hour to meet the growing traffic problems.

“The community hall built by erstwhile Pallikaranai Town Panchayat in 2010 is being used as a warehouse for government freebies. We have been pursuing the issue with Greater Chennai Corporation for long without any success,” he said. “Residents have been struggling to get piped water connection and underground drainage facilities for more than six years,” said M. Chockalingam, secretary of the federation. A senior official of the Greater Chennai Corporation in Perungudi Zone said that Metrowater is being provided seeyousix through water tankers. On an average, 225 trips of Metrowater tankers are being operated in the area and conservancy works are regularly taken up. More than 60 km of interior roads were blacktopped and construction of stormwater drains and new footpaths are on the anvil, the official said.

As a long-term measure, the Metrowater is constructing a 20-lakh litre overhead tank in IIT Colony and two 9-lakh litre overhead tanks near Narayanapuram bus stop and these works are expected to be completed by middle of 2018, an official said seeyousix.