Tiruvottiyur, which was annexed to Madras in 1707 with great difficulty by Joseph Collet, the then governor of Madras Presidency, now lies neglected. Battered roads, sewage overflow, dfective streetlights and mosquitoes define the area now.
The locality has been neglected for decades. and the recent merger of Tiruvottiyur was merged with the city corporation last year after a lot of persuasion by the people who had hoped for better facilities. However, this is yet to bring any respite, lament local civic activists.
“We are asking the civic authorities to provide basic facilities. The roads are only sand mounds and in some wards the water supply is not adequate,” said K. Subramaiam, secretary, Tiruvottiyur Consumer Protection Centre.
Sewage drains are overflowing and this has made the people of the area highly vulnerable to communicable disease and water borne diseases, especially as the civic body has done little to curb the growing menace of mosquitoes, he alleged.
“At night it is difficult to step out, thanks to the pot holes and open drains. Adding to the woes, stray dogs chase you until they are tired,” said S. Renuka, a resident of Tiruvottiyur.
The people are also wary of the effects of the monsoon and residents feat that the battered roads could make the situation worse. The counsellor for ward 6, S. Vincent, said “the dog menace will be addressed soon in the month of September. As far as the roads are concerned, we spent Rs7 lakh on repair but the metro water department is to be blamed for the poor condition of the road.”
A local corporation official said, “Work orders have been issued for relaying of 170 roads and the works is progressing round the clock.”
The official said tenders would be floated soon to replace the existing streetlights with sodium vapour lamps. In the wake of the ensuing monsoon, desilting work have been intensified and the work will be completed in a month, the official said.