Filled silt bags left for more than a month on two streets in Selaivayal, Kodungaiyur, are obstructing movement and raising concerns about stormwater preparedness ahead of the northeast monsoon, residents have said. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has assured residents that ward-level officers will be alerted to remove the bags immediately.
The bags have been placed along Vedantha Murugappa Street and Kattabomman Street in Ward 34 of the Tondiarpet zone after desilting work. Vedantha Murugappa Street is an important route for commuters travelling to Selaivayal and nearby neighbourhoods, while Kattabomman Street is already narrow, according to residents cited by DT Next.
Residents said the bags have remained unattended despite the GCC completing the first phase of desilting across the city. The civic body has stated that it has completed desilting across 1.10 lakh silt catchpits, while the second phase is under way. It is also clearing water hyacinth from 44 waterways, lakes and ponds across Chennai.
M. Karthick, a Selaivayal resident, said silt bags had been left at regular intervals along a one-kilometre stretch of Vedantha Murugappa Street. He said several bags had already torn open and that the silt had flowed back into the pits during recent rains.
Residents said the issue was particularly urgent because meteorologists have forecast the onset of the northeast monsoon in the coming days. Unremoved bags can narrow roads, affect access and undermine the purpose of desilting if the collected material returns to stormwater catchpits, based on the concerns raised by residents.
L.M. Jaiganesh, a resident of Muthamil Nagar, said the bags were blocking Kattabomman Street, which is already narrow. He also urged the GCC to ensure that residents do not discharge illegal sewage into stormwater drains.
The GCC official who responded to the complaint assured residents that ward-level officers would be informed to remove the silt bags from both streets immediately. The removal of the bags and the progress of the second desilting phase are the next steps for the civic body in the area.
