Rats, litter from ditched cars greet Marundeeswarar Temple visitors

Chennai: Devotees entering the Marundeeswarar Temple through the West Tank Street entrance are greeted not by sanctity but by piles of abandoned vehicles and garbage swarming with rats. At least two dozen autos, cars, and bikes have been left rotting outside the shrine for over a year. With no one owning up to the vehicles or their removal, residents blame police neglect, while officials themselves admit they don't know who dumped them, and no one knows who abandoned them.Residents believe the vehicles were left behind by the J6 Thiruvanmiyur police station next to the temple. "These vehicles have been dumped by the police. They have been here for years, and no one removes them. I also don't see any CCTV cameras here," said L Lingam, a local resident.The neglected vehicles have become a breeding ground for rats, stray cattle, and dogs. "A couple of old men drink here and leave bottles scattered around. It makes visiting the temple unpleasant," said Ajith Kumar, a regular devotee.The problem also affects the livelihoods of a few vendors near the temple. C Poongudi, a flower seller at the temple entrance, said, "Rats eat up my flowers. If these vehicles are removed, the menace will stop and we will have more space for stalls." Vendors say they have even resorted to rat traps to protect their goods.Velachery MLA Aassan Maulana said efforts were made in the past to address the issue. "I tried to remove these vehicles multiple times, including during the chariot festival five months ago, but within a week they were back," he said.However, Thiruvanmiyur traffic police denied any link. "If we seize vehicles for drunk driving, we release them after fines are paid. We too don't know who dumped these vehicles," said traffic police inspector Zakir Hussain. Greater Chennai Corporation said it would also look into the issue. "We will visit the spot to check if any of the vehicles were seized by us and confirm their status," said an executive engineer from Thiruvanmiyur zone.