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Five years since upgrade, Avadi still struggles with no amenities
The western suburb first came up on the map after the Central government established the Heavy Vehicles Factory in the 1960s. It still lacks good roads, storm water drains, and water supply. The area gets flooded after a short spell of rain, say residents
Motorists find it difficult to negotiate the damaged Tonakela Camp Road. Residents’ hope for better infrastructure after the upgrade was belied.
| Photo Credit: PICHUMANI K
“What is there to talk about Avadi? Avadi itself is a problem. For decades, there has been no improvement,” says Nazir Ahmed, a resident of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board for 40 years.
The western suburb, 22 km from Chennai, first came up on the map after the Central government established the Heavy Vehicles Factory in the 1960s. The factory created jobs, prompting many to migrate to Avadi. The 2011 Census put Avadi’s population at 3,45,996. It was upgraded as a Corporation in 2019. Residents say that the upgrade sparked hope for better infrastructure. “But nothing has changed. A spell of light rain and Avadi is flooded. The storm water drains are non-existent; only now are drinking water pipes being laid. For this work, the roads have been dug up and the sewage pipe has not been corrected. As a result, it gets clogged, with the wastewater running on the roads. There has been no improvement at all,” Mr. Nazir says.
Roads in poor condition
The roads leading to the TNHB locality and surrounding areas are paved with gravel. Motorists find it difficult to take them. “The roads were stripped for some work six months ago, but they are yet to be restored. These roads cause damage to the vehicles,” says R. Kavitha, a resident.
Little further down, V. Shanthi says the roads were dug up to lay the sewage pipes. “There was talk of storm water drains but the work is yet to start. The roads were dug up again as the Corporation wanted to lay drinking water pipes. They are yet to be relaid. One spell of rain is enough to damage the roads further. This has been the case whenever it rains, and the Corporation is yet to find a proper solution,” she adds.
Residents still depend on water tankers. “Those who do have the water connections get the supply for about two-three hours in the morning and the evening. Others still depend on the tankers. The common tanks for every few houses are our sources of water, but they mostly remain dry,” adds Shanthi.
The residents near the Cooum got water connections quite recently. “Before the bridge was built, the Cooum used to be our source of water; now, people sink borewells as access to water has diminished. We have sunk borewells to a depth of 200-300 feet,” says Chitra. P, of Ayalcheri.
No flood mitigation measures
Avadi floods every monsoon. Residents say they have learnt to cope with the problem. “We keep screaming about it. Nobody pays heed. The water has no way to reach the river. There is no storm water drain. So, we suffer every year,” says Nazir.
P. Subramani, who owns a shop on New Military Road, recalls that a storm water drain was constructed in 2008. But no further inspection or upgrade has been done. “The storm water drain in front of my shop was haphazardly constructed. It was more of a nuisance than a boon, so I had to correct it with my own funds. I took up the issue multiple times with the Corporation, but in vain,” he says.
The storm water drains were constructed only in four wards as a trial, and since then, no other structure has been built for flood mitigation, according to T . Sadagopan, president, Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre.
The lack of a drainage system has led to contamination of drinking water, according to residents. “People have sunk borewells as deep as 800 feet and the lack of a drainage system means that the sewage seeps down and mixes with the groundwater,” says Mr. Sadagopan.
Lack of funds
In the five years since Avadi was upgraded as a Corporation, no funds have been allocated for its development. “There are four zones in the Corporation, but no zonal officer has been appointed. Residents run from pillar to post to highlight their grievances. There has been no system for redressing grievances. The Corporation is trying to develop Avadi only through tax, something that is not possible. The Corporation should be expanded to cover a few other major areas for its development,” he adds.
Mayor G. Udayakumar says a study has begun for building storm water drains. “The drains will be constructed soon, especially in localities such as the TNHB. As many as 200 roads have been relaid. The other roads will be relaid before the monsoon,” he says.
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