Chennai Citizen Connect: Residents cry foul as abandoned land turns into dumping ground in Korukkupet

CHENNAI: Residents of Nagappan Street, Meenambal Nagar in Korukkupet, urged the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to fence the land on their street. The open space has now become a dumping ground for construction debris.

According to the residents of Nagappan Street, the vacant land has remained unchecked by the landowner for the past 12 years. The debris-filled land with the overgrown bushes has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a home for snails.

A resident of the street, Kalpana, said, “The situation worsened during the rainy season; the snails come out from the vacant land and crawl on the streets and walls of the nearby houses. We don't know who to raise this issue with.”

According to the Greater Chennai Corporation, a responsible landowner is required to comply with the relevant provisions of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (TNULB) Act, 1998, and the TNULB rules, 2023, regarding maintenance of vacant land, regular inspection of the land to identify overgrown vegetation, waste accumulation, and stagnant water.

Additionally, the landowners have to remove weeds and bushes to prevent breeding grounds for mosquitoes, prevent the accumulation of solid waste and construction debris on the land and install sturdy and secure fencing around the land to prevent unauthorised access, dumping, and encroachments.

Preferring anonymity, another resident of the street alleged, “During Vinayagar Chaturthi, the vacant space will be cleaned; after the festival, waste again accumulates in the area. As per the GCC guidelines, the land has to be fenced by the concerned land owner.”

A zonal-level official told DT Next, “Throughout the zone, we impose a fine on land owners who do not fence their land. Likewise, similar action will be taken against the land owner.”