CHENNAI: When you turn off New Avadi Road into Thanthai Periyar Nagar 1st Street in Ayanavaram, overflowing garbage at a collection point behind the tall tin sheets placed along the roadside, welcomes you.
Piles of plastic covers, food scraps, discarded sacks, and metal scraps spill out of the bins and scatter across the ground. This spot is not just for one lane; it serves a large stretch, including Thanthai Periyar 1st Street leading to Muthamman Kovil Street, the perpendicular main road, and 2nd Street, all housing several eateries, commercial establishments, and residential buildings.
Residents complain of the stench and uncleanliness that persist around the site. Many point out that the problem could be eased if additional garbage bins were placed in the interior lanes, instead of forcing all the waste to be brought to this single point.
For Duraisamy (name changed), a conservancy worker under a private contractor, the problem is far more distressing. One of only two workers assigned to the locality, he spends hours combing through heaps of rotten waste and scraps with his bare hands. When asked about protective gloves, he said, "The gloves wore out quickly, and despite asking many times, I haven't received a new pair." He and his colleague not only unload two large bins but also collect the spillovers that residents leave outside.
"They come on their bikes and just throw it and go. Some don't even stop. Even if the bins are empty, the garbage lands outside. I have to pick it all up, right?" he said. Kanagaraj (name changed), another worker deployed in a different locality, echoed the concern, saying that the shortage of workers makes it a burden for them to handle the waste of multiple localities. This, coupled with the lack of bins in interior lanes, leads to large piles at central points.
Ward 97 Councillor Latha acknowledged the problem. While stating that placing bins on inner roads may not be possible at the moment, she assured that the issue would be taken up with officials.