Utility work debris constricts pedestrian space on Samson Saroja Street in Chennai

Samson Saroja Street in Golden George Nagar, Mogappair East, is quietly residential, the only noise on a weekday evening emanating from the snack shop that straddles one end of it. For some residents of this street, however, recent utility work has created problems that are not going away.

R. Manohar, a retired professor and long-time resident of the street, says that two months ago, work was carried out to lay an underground electricity cable. While the cable was laid, the debris that accumulated due to the work being done has remained on the street for weeks, the senior citizen said.

Rubble from the work lines a portion of one side of the street, hindering entry to houses and narrowing what is already a cramped space for pedestrians. With sewage cleaning work also under way on two manholes, the space for both vehicles and pedestrians is constricted.

While residents say cleaning of the street of garbage is regularly carried out, an empty plot forms an eyesore, piled high with trash and litter
| Photo Credit:
S.R. Raghunathan

“At one point, it was impossible to walk. I made multiple phone calls to the Chennai Corporation, and after many attempts, some of the rubble was cleared. But some of it is still left. It makes it difficult for our vehicles to enter and leave our homes because it is right at the gate,” Mr. Manohar said.

One house down, K.V. Narasimhulu, who is in his seventies, is also finding the rubble a hazard. “For senior citizens like us, it makes walking on the street an issue. It has just been left like that, on the street, with no attempt to clear it up. In addition, if the road level keeps going up, water then drains into our homes,” he pointed out.

Garbage pile

While residents say cleaning of the street of garbage is regularly carried out, an empty plot forms an eyesore, piled high with trash and litter. As is the case in many other parts of the city, stray dogs, too, are an issue: Mr. Manohar says they get together in packs at night, creating a racket.

A little attention paid to the clean-up required in the aftermath of necessary utility work could go a long way towards making the street safe and friendly, residents say.