A colony with streets but no name boards

Nataraj Nagar is the oldest colony in Ward 22 but its residents have a grievance that there is no name board for the streets, leave alone other civic issues left unattended to for long.

The ward, which was once the last ward (72), has been re-numbered as 22 after the Madurai Corporation was expanded from 72 to 100 wards.

According to the councillor Rajendran, this is one of the biggest wards as it covers nearly 3000 acres with a mix of urban and semi-urban pockets, including Doak Nagar, Kochadai, Thuvariman, Anand Nagar and TPM Nagar.

During an interaction with The Hindu , the residents had less bouquets and more brickbats for Mr. Rajendran, a first-time councillor.

In Nataraj Nagar, residents complained that a majority of house owners had encroached public space and an LPG godown in the colony was a major threat. They wanted the shifting of the sub-registrar’s office from the cramped Veeramamunivar Street. Two-wheelers parked in front of the office left little room for movement of other vehicles.

Residents of colonies opposite the landmark Fenner India and adjacent to Passport Seva Kendra, a majority of whom are reputed in their profession, felt that self-discipline among themselves has turned to the advantage of law offenders.

A businessman, who owned at least a dozen lorries to supply essential commodities to Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, used the area for loading and unloading activity, which went on round-the-clock, giving sleepless nights.

It was almost similar in Anand Nagar, where people said that the drinking water was simply not good for consumption as the pipelines had outlived their time. The timing of water release too was at odd hours and on most occasions it went waste as people had to keep their taps open even while they were fast asleep.

A conventional cremation ground for use of all communities in the ward is situated near Nataraj Nagar. This posed an environment problem to both Kochadai and Nataraj Nagar dwellers as bodies were taken in processions at odd hours with bursting of crackers by mourners.

For school going children, it is a harrowing experience to cross the road as sand-laden lorries are operated in a procession on the Kochadai Main Road. To add to their woes, crimes like chain snatching and burglary happen regularly and the Karimedu police either promise to look into the complaints or advise people to be more careful.

M. Sivaprakash, a resident, pointed out that whenever the Tangedco office at Arasaradi was approached for replacement of non-functioning street lights, it was done immediately. The stray dog menace in the ward is pretty high and walking is risky, according to him.

V. Vijaya, a home maker, said, “I am living here for almost two decades. With rise in vehicle population, the authorities can lay user-friendly speed breakers to avoid accidents.

The residents want a foolproof arrangement in place for solid waste removal in the ward. Not realising the hazards of dumping waste in empty plots, many residents take the short-cut. Today, these plots had turned into huge garbage dumps, said R. Thiruvengadaswamy of Seethai Ammal Street in Nataraj Nagar. “I am living in this colony since 1995. Very little care has been given to our genuine grievances by the authorities, even after submission of several petitions. We have even received an acknowledgement from the Chief Minister’s Special Cell. But things have not moved an inch from there,” he also claimed.

Retired Maj. Gen. R. N. Radhakrishnan of Veeramamunivar Street said that only a private person removed garbage from dwellings in the area and dumped it in the temporary bins of Madurai Corporation for a monthly fee of Rs. 40.

Effective representation of grievances with added commitment by the elected representative would see things move in the right direction, residents felt.

The councillor said that he was always available to his ward people. “I will first get the name boards installed in the ward. The Mayor and Commissioner are helping in getting all water works done to the tune of Rs. 1.5 crore in Anand Nagar,” he added.