CHENNAI: The residents of Ramanuja Iyer Street in Old Washermenpet expressed concern over garbage dumping along the roads due to the absence of waste bins on the streets.

They raised complaints over health hazards and the stench emanating from the garbage lying on the roadside.

“As the residents are left with no other option but to go a few streets away to find a waste bin, they dump the waste here. The Greater Chennai Corporation's improper solid waste management adds to the chaos as the trash is collected once a few days. And the waste lies on the street for a long time,” said R Ramesh, a resident in the area.

“There must be a waste bin kept on the streets so that the residents could dump the waste into garbage bins instead of throwing it on the roads. Especially, women find it more difficult to carry waste. During monsoons, the garbage mixed with rainwater flows into stormwater drains constructed by GCC with crores of money. Clogged drains add to the woes of residents,” Ramesh said.

Whenever complaints are raised regarding garbage collection, the officials concerned claim a lack of manpower, said residents. The street leads towards Sir Theagaraya Metro and the stench causes difficulty for the commuters, Ramesh added.

When contacted, Ward 48 councillor V Vijayalakshmi Vijayakumar said, "Earlier there were garbage bins inside the street. However, the garbage collection lorries were not ready to come inside citing traffic congestion. Thus the bins are kept outside the streets and waste is being removed in the area regularly."