Vacant land in Saligramam turns dump yard, an eyesore

CHENNAI: A vacant land belonging to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department, located next to the

Saligramam

bus depot, has turned into a dumping ground for garbage. While conservancy workers of the

Greater Chennai Corporation

use a corner of the land to dump garbage every day, fruit and

flower

vendors have encroached on another side of the land.

The ground has a board, facing Kamarajar Salai, stating that the land belongs to the HR&CE, but serves little purpose. “The HR&CE has not taken any steps to reclaim the land or ward off the area by erecting a fence around it,” said N Gopinath, a resident of the area.

When TOI visited the site, debris were found scattered on one side of the ground, while garbage was heaped on another side with a huge corporation dumpster placed near it. The rest of the ground was littered as well with stray dogs rummaging through the waste.

“The ground is low-lying and gets inundated during monsoon. Foul smell emanates from the ground and it becomes a breeding space for mosquitoes, making it unbearable for people to live here,” Gopinath said.

Another resident said people owning two properties opposite to the ground have vacated and subleted them for commercial use as the place becomes uninhabitable during monsoon. The ground remains an eyesore during the rest of the year, he added.

An official of the HR&CE said the registration department will construct a sub-registrar office on the land.

“There was a plan to build a wall around the land using Rs 5 lakh, but it was shelved as the registration department had expressed interest in buying the land. The land will be sold based on the guideline value by the HR&CE,” said an official.

On why garbage was being dumped there regularly, he said the corporation will be informed to not dump waste on the land.

A corporation engineer said only a corner of the land was used to dump waste, which is cleared the next day. “If there is more dumping of waste and debris than usual, it will be checked only after the elections are over,” he said.