Piling garbage raises stink at SIDCO in Ekkattuthangal

CHENNAI: The corporation authorities were taking steps to make Chennai `city litter-free zone, but the public continue to dump garbage on the road.

Commuters fumed over piled up garbage for a long time at SIDCO Industrial Estate in Ekkattuthangal. It was found that the waste was burnt by sanitary workers, leading to breathing difficulties for people who use the road. People complain that the stray animals were scattering the waste on the road, making the road worse.

“Sanitary workers use this place as a garbage transfer area and sometimes the waste is dumped on the road. The collected waste from the nearby areas were kept on trucks for many days. The sanitary workers were so lethargic since it’s an industrial area. We are unable to cross this road due to the bad odor from the garbage,” said Prabhakaran, a motorist.

People complain that stray dogs and cattle eat plastic from this waste and mess the entire road. Those who work in the companies claim that the garbage issue poses a threat to health and has resulted in an increase in the mosquito menace.

“The dumped garbage has not only worsened the locality’s hygiene, but has also increased the mosquito menace. A foul smell is also emerging from the mound. Though several complaints were raised by the local body authorities and sanitary workers, they are least bothered to take steps against the issue,” said Gunasekaran T, a resident of Ekkattuthangal.

In addition, the garbage dumped on the roads has been burnt by the conservancy workers and it causes breathing difficulties for the public, and they have witnessed an increase in air pollution recently.

The zone officers could not be reached despite multiple attempts for comments on this issue.