For residents of Nawab Habibullah Nagar, off Manimangalam Main Road, Mudichur, access to basic civic amenities seems light years away.
For the last six years, the residents have appealed to the Mudichur village panchayat, sent petitions to the Kancheepuram district collectorate, the Director of Revenue Administration and CM’s Cell, over the lack of basic amenities in their locality.
Members of Nawab Habibullah Nagar Residents Welfare Association say a parcel of OSR land measuring 64 cents had been earmarked for the creation of a park. They allege that despite approval being given to the layout plan for the park by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, the park had not been developed. “Not even a wall has been constructed around the park,” they say, adding that they had thwarted a plan by the village panchayat to construct a community hall on the land set aside for the park. “The roads in the locality, which had come up on a layout approved by the Madras Metropolitan Development Authority, have not been laid for several years,” Association members pointed out. “The Kancheepuram collectorate had requested the panchayat to tar-top the seven roads in the Nagar. The panchayat has turned three of them into cement roads, but there is no progress when it comes to the remaining roads,” the members complained.
“We requested the panchayat officials to demolish the netted well on an eight-feet road, in the Nagar, which is not used as a source for drinking water,” say residents. They allege that the well has become poisonous and is affecting the groundwater. “However, no steps have been taken to demolish the well,” they complain.
Others requests to the panchayat by member-residents include the culling of pigs, which reportedly roam in huge numbers across the locality, removal of real estate hoardings on Manimangalam Main Road and the removal of encroachments on Mudichur Road.
When contacted, Kancheepuram collectorate officials said they would take action as early as possible.