Veg waste rots away as vendors refuse to dump into garbage bins

“The vendors throw vegetable waste on the road instead of dumping it in garbage bins. We have told them not to do so several times. But they either ignore us or ask us to mind our business,” said Sumathi V, a resident of Thandavarayan street.

“The area stinks and we have to keep the windows to our house shut. We cannot blame the sanitation workers as they collect garbage from the bins twice every day. They have even told the vendors to throw vegetables in the bin or else they won’t collect it, but nothing changed,” she added.

Locals said that some vendors collect vegetables from those discarded on the road and sell them near Old Washermenpet. “Recently, we came across a few women picking up vegetables from the road and we had no clue why they were collecting the waste. When we tried to question them, they walked away. And two days ago, we saw a vendor selling vegetables near a temple. She is among the group which regularly collects vegetables and fruits from the pile of garbage. We were shocked and did not know what to do,” said Jamine P, a resident of Varadharajan Perumal Street.

Vendors, however, claim that they clean up after shutting shops. “We throw damaged vegetables next to our shop, but we clean the place before we leave,” said Seetha E, a vegetable vendor.

Speaking to DT Next, a senior official from the Chennai Corporation said, “We have not received any complaints from residents. If vendors fail to dispose of their garbage in the dustbins, they will be fined. We have dealt with such issues at flower bazaar and vendors stopped littering the roads. We ensure that steps will be taken soon.”