Uncleared garbage and lack of water assail Gopalapuram

CHENNAI: No proper Metrowater supply for years, uncleared garbage, haphazard parking of school vehicles the woes of residents of north Gopalapuram keep piling up.
To compound the problem, the lack of police presence in the posh locality has led to an increase in chain snatchings, residents say.
They pay 700 a month as charges but get no water, they add.Metrowater says the 'pressure' is too low to ensure water supply to Conran Smith Road, but residents say no remedial work can begin until the local body polls are completed.
K V Saminathan of First Street said vans and cars bringing children to a school in the area are parked for long periods on Shanmugam Street, Tathinam Street and Govardhan Street, making it impossible for residents to come out of their homes.
There are 131 streets in the locality with a population of 28,000. "There have been many incidents of chain and mobile snatching but there is no police presence. We have met the Metrowater chairman about our water woes but no action has been taken. School vans are parked here from 7.30am to 4.30pm and during this time, the drivers play loud music, drink and smoke making it tough for us to reach our homes. This civic elections we have taken a pledge to dent the vote bank and work against those who have done nothing for us," said G Jagadessan, treasurer of the owners association of an apartment block on First Street. Councillor D Sivaraj of the AIADMK said residents kept dumping garbage even after the trucks removed it. On parking of school vans, he said the matter had been taken up with the traffic police.
On residents not getting Metrowater supply, Sivaraj said money had been paid to the agency concerned for a project to ensure supply, but said the traffic police were not giving permission to cut open Dr Radhakrishnan Salai as it was the official route taken by the chief minister's convoy.