Voters say infrastructure progress in Sriperumbudur does not match pace of industrialisation

Hundreds of cars, trucks and buses zip past the quiet Rajiv Gandhi Memorial in Sriperumbudur. Thirty-five years ago, the world was introduced to this quaint town with the assassination of the former Prime Minister. But, over the last three decades, the town has grown to wear a new identity and earned the city, the title “Detroit of Asia”.

This industrial hub stands as one of the key drivers of Tamil Nadu’s economic engine. But there exists a rather stark mismatch between rapid industrialisation and infrastructure development. From traffic congestion, inadequate public transport, deficiencies in access to basic amenities, and pollution, the gaps in infrastructure are far too many.

As a reserved constituency, it stretches from the city’s fringes like Kundrathur, Mangadu, Thirumudivakkam, Mannivakkam, Padappai to Oragadam, Panruti and Irungattukottai.

Closer to Chennai, the electorate comprises middle-income groups and working professionals, who settled here due to reasonably priced housing options. As one gets closer to the manufacturing hub, the electorate becomes a rural-industrial mix of low- to middle-income groups, including a large population of industrial workers and agricultural workers. The constituency has swung between the Indian National Congress (INC) and one of the two Dravidian parties. While DMK has won thrice and AIADMK twice, the electorate has favoured INC five times including 2021 elections.

In areas like Mangadu and Kundrathur, many residents grapple with numerous issues, including the lack of a piped water supply, an underground drainage system, and poor solid waste management.

R. Malathy, a resident of Mangadu, said, “Door-to-door garbage collection is done only once every two days, and as a result, many discard their waste in empty pockets of land.” She said in areas like Mangadu and Kundrathur, too, the inadequate bus connectivity and traffic congestion remain a major issue. “We desperately need a dedicated bus terminus at Mangadu without which we struggle to travel in choked buses during peak hours,” she added. She also said that people suffer during the monsoon with bad roads and flooding.

V. Rajasekaran, president, Federation of Varadharajapuram Welfare Association, said flooding issues persisted in their area too, but mitigation measures were taken up by the government in recent times. “But, one of the most important tasks which the government should take up at the earliest is the ₹1,500 crore Adyar River Restoration project. Sewage should not be let into the Adyar river,” he added. He also noted that there are no community halls, libraries or parks in the area.

Surya Mohan K., a resident of Pennalur in Sriperumbudur, said it is quite disappointing that infrastructure growth has barely kept pace with industrialisation. Lack of sufficient bus connectivity within Sriperumbudur and with neighbouring towns and traffic congestion at key junctions like Sriperumbudur East and West Bypass Junctions, Chettipedu, Irungattukottai, Sriperumbudur Boys High School Junction, Kundrathur-Sriperumbudur, Oragadam-Sriperumbudur, continue to remain central issues in most parts of the constituency. “MTC buses ply between Chennai and Sriperumbudur. But, we desperately need better connectivity to travel between Sriperumbudur, Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur,” he said.

Besides, the government needs to create a strong system of last-mile connectivity to commute within Sriperumbudur. “At present, most people use their personal vehicles, and there are a handful of private minibuses,” he added. Samuel Aaron, director of a manufacturing firm in Oragadam, said that there isn’t adequate bus connectivity from Oragadam to Chennai city as well. “If an employee misses the office shuttle for some reason, then they must only depend on their personal vehicle. There aren’t too many buses, and their frequency isn’t dependable. The government should prioritise improving bus connectivity from Sriperumbudur to Chennai and Oragadam to Chennai and consider implementing some kind of mass rapid transit system,” he added.

Due to the increased presence of heavy vehicles like trucks and buses, most parts of Sriperumbudur have been plagued by traffic congestion. “One of the key infrastructure projects, the widening of Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway with several bridges and underpasses, should have been completed long ago, but has been riddled with delays. The traffic congestion would be far more manageable if this project had been completed on time,” he rued.

Workers, who constitute a significant portion of the electorate, experience a diverse set of problems, apart from dealing with traffic congestion and commuting.

Rajaguru, the coordinator of Orumaipadu Mandram which works towards the unity and welfare of the industrial workers in Sriperumbudur, said the number of contractor workers is more than permanent workers, and they work for more than eight hours per day. “But, they don’t get paid for working overtime, the concept of equal pay for equal work is non-existent here in many firms. Also, if they are employed for more than 480 days in two years, they have to be made permanent, but that doesn’t happen too often. The bus and truck drivers work round the clock, but their wages are rather paltry,” he added.

Mr. Rajaguru also said that many factories dump their waste into the water bodies. “For instance, at Panruti village, one of the factories disposed of their waste in the village and burnt it,” he said.

Women workers particularly get a bitter deal. Vijayasheela, a member of the Orumaipadu Mandram, said women workers don’t receive equal pay on par with men and don’t get leave during menstruation. She also noted that while lakhs of women come from far-off areas to work here, there are no Thozhi Viduthigal in this locality. She alleged that some of the women also face sexual harassment at workplace. “When we raise this issue with the management, these women are removed from work and lose their livelihood,” she alleged.

For hundreds of Irular families residing in Sriperumbudur, receiving a patta and getting a permanent home has been a dream they are waiting to realise. Kavitha Thandhoni, president of the Sriperumbudur Irular People Welfare Association, said, “While 200 families have already received it, 250 more are yet to get it. Many of them live on the banks of a water body, which poses a great danger during the monsoon. Also, a patta is essential for them to receive other benefits from the government. In fact, for many, this will be the sole document as their identity. I have been struggling to get a death certificate for a mother of eight children,” she lamented.

Ms. Thandhoni, a member of the Irular community pursuing her graduation after a great deal of struggle, said that, though the government organises camps to collect the details and issue patta, many Irular families get to know of it only in the last minute when they are away at work. It would help if the government informed them at least a week or ten days in advance of the camp so that everyone benefits from it.

“Also, the government has rolled out welfare schemes, subsidies and skill development initiatives. But the main issue is, again, a lack of awareness among the community. The government should step up the efforts and consistently communicate it to them,” she said.

MLA and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai said that many initiatives and measures were taken to upgrade the infrastructure and noted that the upcoming projects will be completed at the earliest. After this, the traffic congestion will come down drastically, he said.

Mr. Selvaperunthagai said he took efforts to increase the green cover in Akkamapuram, and construct Panchayat Union Primary Schools in Thathanur Panchayat, additional classrooms in Santhavellore Panchayat, Mangadu, Poonthandalam Panchayat, Malayambakkam Panchayat, Nanthambakkam Panchayat and Vengadu Panchayat, Anganwadi buildings, storm water drains and a culvert in Manimangalam, RO plants, provided cement concrete pavement in various streets, bus shelter in Vallakottai, Pudhunallur and public distribution shops in several locations. This aside, efforts are underway to establish a mini-stadium in Somangalam.