Residents of Ponniamman Koil Street, Kotturpuram, are at their wit’s end figuring out how to deal with a problem allegedly caused by a non-vegetarian fast-food outlet.
“ The eatery does not comply with fire-safety norms. It doesn’t have a chimney and an exhaust fan. In this regard, we have submitted petitions to the Commissioner and the Health Officer, Chennai Corporation, to take necessary action,” residents reported.
It is reported that acting on the petitions, the Commissioner and the Health Officer issued notices’ to the eatery owner asking him to fix a chimney, set up an exhaust fan and to comply with other fire-safety regulations. However, residents allege, that he has not taken any steps so far to meet these requirements.
The eatery is also said to have taken up the road space and is open till midnight. Customers at the outlet consume liquor in the open and cause nuisance to passers-by, residents allege. The leftovers are dumped on the road. Residents further add that repeated complaints to the authorities concerned from 2011 have not yielded any results.
This May, residents again submitted petitions to the outlet owner, the Commissioner, the Assistant Engineer, Zone 13, the Revenue Officer, and the Health Officer, Chennai Corporation, and the Chairman, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.
“The respite came in July when TNPCB issued directives to the Chennai Corporation to take further action. But till date, no action has been taken by the civic body,” the residents complained.
Official sources in the Chennai Corporation say they will look into the TNPCB notice and sort out the issue.
