Debris dumped in front of the Arupadai Veedu Murugan Temple in Besant Nagar, alongside the beach shore, is in violation of the provisions of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Area. The local councillor claimed that problems in preventing this could be because of heavy pre-election work for the local body.
This is after Charu Govindan, Founder-Member and Coordinator at Voice of People (a voluntary organisation), continuously posted regarding recurring construction and debris waste in the spot on social media. She said there are designated dumping sites for construction and debris (C&D) waste to be dumped, but that is not being followed. “Complaints were filed during the Area Sabha meeting held by Councillor J.Kayalvizhi and through the Corporation helpline 1913, but the problem persists,” she added.
G.Surendran, a resident here for 12 years, claimed: “This has been going on in the 10-foot wide pathway since 2022.”
The designated dumping site for C&D waste for Zone 13 is close to the Velachery Burial Ground on Velachery Main Road and a private agency - Premier Precision Private Limited - processes the collected construction and demolition waste at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur.
Councillor J.Kayalvizhi said since the election work is at its peak, so there may be some snags in taking measures to stop this issue from recurring. “This is a violation of provisions under which I had asked the Executive Engineer of the ward to take cognisance. There are CCTV cameras at the police booth near this location through which vehicles of those involved in dumping waste can be identified. Barricades or bollards must be placed so vehicles do not enter. This matter will be put forth during the council meeting that will be chaired after the election,” she alleged.
Notably, this dumping is also a violation of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s Construction And Demolition Waste Management Rules.
Additional Commissioner (Health) V. Jaya Chandra Bhanu Reddy said it was clearly illegal and fines have been imposed continuously on those involved in the open dumping of construction waste. He also promised that action would be taken on this count.
