Citizen Connect- Parking spot for abandoned cart turns into dump yard, frequented by tipplers: Residents

Netaji Road is a busy area with numerous shops and small business establishments. Of late, the locals have been complaining of a spot near an abandoned cart on the street where people have been dumping garbage randomly. They say that despite lodging several complaints with the Corporation officials, no action has been taken yet.

Resident S Thiyagarajan said that the garbage attracts several stray dogs, which loiter in the area and chase motorists at night. He added that the abandoned cart belongs to another resident of Ganesh Nagar and its presence obstructs cleaning activities and encourages people to use the place as a dump yard.

"We requested the owner to remove the cart so that people, especially tipplers do not throw their garbage there. But the owner not only refused to remove the cart, but also dared the locals to complain against him to the authorities," said Thiyagarajan.

When contacted, an official in the Ganesh Nagar Corporation office said that garbage from the area was being cleared every day and it is mostly people who buy and drink alcohol from the nearby TASMAC shop, throw their bottles near the cart. "People often drink alcohol near the cart and once they are done, they discard the bottles there itself,” said K Purushothaman, who works with a private firm and lives in Ganesh Nagar. According to him, a complaint was also lodged in the nearby police station against the offenders. "The police, however, refused to register the complaint and asked us to report it to the Corporation authorities," he added.

But, the Corporation officials said that it was the duty of the police to tackle problems created by drunkards. "We have also asked the owner of the cart to remove it," the official claimed. “Broken liquor bottles is dangerous for people especially during peak hours since the area is a busy one,” K Ganesh Kumar, Ganesh Nagar Welfare Association of Senior Citizen said. He added, “If the issue has not been solved, we will lodge complaint with the minister concerned.”