Once neglected, Puducherry's GRP Street gets artistic makeover

VILLUPURAM: After suffering decades of oppression for their residential space, the residents of GRP street in Puducherry can finally boast of having an informative street wall and a ground, thanks to the newly elected ward councillor who has recreated the space, which was once used as a dumpyard.

GRP street stretches from the signal at East-Puducherry road to the market, which has three major streets - Nandanar street, Arundhathiyar street and GRP street. The crooked living conditions had caused unhygienic environment for the residents, with a dump yard in every street that lay uncleared for weeks.

"The poor living conditions had become the subject of discrimination against the residents by the society and if anything has to be done to change it, it should start from clearing the dumpyard," said the newly elected ward councillor Navaneetham Manikandan.

She added that clearing the dumpyard at the entrance of GRP street was crucial because the space belonging to the Cooperative department was being used for illegal activities by the people.

“We decided to paint the compound walls of the space and clear the debris. We chose to paint the pictures of leaders who fought against oppression and discrimination, so that the next generation can learn about them," she said.

The walls of the street adorn the potraits of leaders B R Ambedkar, Rettamalai Srinivasan, Aiyothee Das and images carrying social messages against child sexual abuse and open defecation.

A 25-year old resident of GRP street said, "We are extremely happy that the cooperative ground can be used for sports. I invited my friends from other areas to see the paintings. This change has helped transform the impression of our area in a subtle way."

Apart from the painting, issues pertaining to underground sewage, street light and drinking water facilities has been resolved within three months of Navaneetham taking charge, according to sources.

S Sumathi (35), a resident of the area, told TNIE that drinking water pipes had been properly connected to ensure everybody gets access to it. "We used to spend about ₹500 every month to buy water cans, but now we no longer have to do that thanks to the connection," she said.