Residents of Selaivayal in Chennai’s Kodungaiyur area have urged the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to remove silt bags left for more than a month on Vedantha Murugappa Street and Kattabomman Street in Ward 34 of the Tondiarpet zone, with the northeast monsoon expected to begin in the coming days.
The bags contain material collected during desilting work and remain along the two streets even though the civic body has completed its first round of desilting across the city. Residents said the uncollected bags are obstructing movement and could undermine the purpose of clearing stormwater catchpits before heavy rain.
Vedantha Murugappa Street is an important route for commuters travelling to Selaivayal and nearby neighbourhoods in Kodungaiyur. Residents told DT Next that the bags have been placed at regular intervals along a stretch of about one kilometre. Some have reportedly torn open, allowing the silt to flow back into stormwater pits during recent rains.
“Silt bags have been left unremoved at regular intervals along a one-kilometre stretch of Vedantha Murugappa Street. This neglect is evident, as several bags have already torn open and the silt has flown back into the pits during recent rains,” M. Karthick of Selaivayal said.
The GCC has said it completed the first round of desilting across 1.10 lakh silt catchpits, while the second phase is under way. The corporation is also clearing water hyacinth from 44 waterways, lakes and ponds across Chennai as part of its preparations for the rainy season.
Residents said the delayed removal of the bags was particularly disruptive on Kattabomman Street, which is already narrow. LM Jaiganesh, a resident of Muthamil Nagar, said the corporation should clear the bags and also ensure that residents do not discharge illegal sewage into stormwater drains.
“The unremoved silt bags are blocking Kattabomman Street, which is already narrow. In addition to clearing these, the GCC must strictly ensure that residents do not discharge illegal sewage into the stormwater drains,” Jaiganesh said.
A GCC official, responding to the complaint, assured residents that ward-level officers would be alerted and that the silt bags on both streets would be removed immediately. The response comes as the corporation continues its second phase of desilting and waterbody-clearing work across the city.
