CHENNAI: Dumping of construction waste in the open is going on unabated in city's western suburbs such as Mogappair and Ambattur, with civic authorities choosing to ignore the menace.
Residents living in Thirukural Munusamy Street, Venguopal Street, Thiruvalluvar Street, Bharadi Street and Mogappair Road, and some stretches around Ambattur lake have complained that debris is now being dumped by the roads.
In some stretches, TOI spotted toilet closets and sinks being dumped near arterial roads. "This is because the corporation has not made it clear whom to contact to get rid of the waste,"said a resident.
S Swaminathan of JAMBA, a federation with five resident welfare associations in Mogappair West, said the debris is dumped on the roadside by construction workers, and later, land-grabbers dump it by the Cooum river bed near Maduravoyal to occupy a portion of the river bank. "People are dumping debris in the rivers too. Ever since the service lane opposite MGR College was cleaned of debris, people have begun dumping waste in interior areas," he said.
In 2020, the city corporation tendered out an eight-year contract to a firm named Premier Precision Surface, which had taken a bio-mining contract at the Perungudi dumpyard, to collect construction and demolition waste. The firm's roles and responsibilities include collecting, transporting and processing construction and demolition waste from across the city covering zones 1 to 15.
As the corporation reduced the work area of the firm from 15 to eight zones, the contractor has gone for arbitration, said officials.
Residents want the corporation to publish the contact details of the contractor who can collect construction debris.
Officials in Ambattur said they will inspect and clear the localities.
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