The overflowing garbage bins have been a constant fixture on Dr Thomas Road in T Nagar for years now. The pleas of residents to find a solution have fallen on deaf ears. 

Dr Thomas Road has a high population density due to the many apartments, housing board blocks and individual houses situated on the street. There are many eateries as well at the beginning of the road. The high volume of waste generated by the houses and establishments ultimately ends up on the streets, causing a health hazard and also making it difficult to navigate on the road.

“It is impossible to see this road clean for more than a few hours during the daytime. The road is usable and clean only for a few hours after the garbage trucks have cleared the bins. Then it is back to the usual piles of garbage that is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases,” said Ezhil, a resident of the housing board tenement.

The Corporation has kept only three garbage bins in the stretch which has many houses and establishments. Despite the waste is collected regularly, the speed at which they fill up points to the need for more bins on the road.

 

“We have tried to notify the authorities but no change has come of it. Three bins are not enough. The housing board blocks have too many flats and each block should have a bin. Also, more bins should be placed along the road to put an end to the filth and piling up of garbage on the street,” said Sadasivam, a resident of one of the apartments on the street.

Construction debris can also be seen on the roadside, adding to the garbage menace. The debris takes up all the space on the side of the road. Garbage and debris are mostly spilling on to the middle of the road. Vehicles that use the road have to driving over the pile of waste and spreading it to other parts of the road, creating an unsanitary environment. Calls to the Zonal Officer regarding the citizens’ demand for more bins and removal of construction debris went unanswered.