Kathirvedu residents’ agonising wait for buses, garbage disposal

No shelter: Kathirvedu residents have been hassled by lack of transport to main parts of Chennai. And there are no bus shelters either. The photo shows a bus stop of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation without a shelter.
| Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

Residents of Kathirvedu may be the most content locals you ever meet. In the last six years, there has been tremendous improvement in roads, water supply to houses, and underground drainage. Thanks to rapid urbanisation, more people have shifted to the locality. “In the last few years, there has been an uptick in the number of people moving to the area. This trend has been beneficial for us as accessible essential shops have come up. Earlier, we would travel to the nearest town to buy medicines and the essentials,” says Selva Easwari, a resident of Kathirvedu for the past 25 years.

Kathirvedu was part of the Madhavaram taluk before it was brought under the Greater Chennai Corporation recently. With the Puzhal Lake close by, water supply has never been a problem; neither has there been rainwater stagnation. However, residents underscore the need for more infrastructure, transport connectivity, and proper garbage disposal.

Cut off from major areas

Kathrivedu residents point out that there is no transport link to important areas of the city. “There is not even a bus shelter or bus stop to signal that buses ply here,” says Rasi K., another resident.

Ulaganathan, a shop-owner on Surapet Main Road, says that a minimum number of buses pass through Kathirvedu. “It is almost an hour’s wait to board a bus to Tambaram. Even that is unpredictable.”

Venkatesan, a resident for the past 40 years, says that all Tambaram-bound buses from Red Hills take the bypass. “At least, one bus service should be diverted through Kathirvedu or Vinayakapuram.”

Ms. Rasi adds the lack of transport makes it difficult for the residents to plan their day. “Given the unpredictable bus services, it takes great planning to catch the one bus to go to the city.”

Mr. Venkatesan suggests that mini-buses be operated to help the commuters. “Mini-buses are needed from Sirivapuri to Retteri and Vinayakapuram to Ambattur to reduce dependence on share auto-rickshaws.”

Swetha Ravikumar says that in the last few years, most of the problems of the residents have been resolved. “There has been a rapid change in the locality in the past few years. The few things that still affect us include bus shelters and connectivity. Buses stop on the Outer Ring Road. We have to walk to the main road to board a bus. Given the rapid development of the area, the need for better connectivity to the city is increasing,” she says.

A long-pending demand

Mr. Srinivasan shifted here because it is one area not prone to floods. “It was the advantage of Kathirvedu that my father was particular about. Rainwater doesn’t stagnate here; it flows towards the Puzhal Lake,” he says. But he points out that only recently have the homes been linked to the drinking water network, and the area got an ATM only a year ago.

Drainage and water connections came in a couple of years ago, residents say. “Water connection was the long-pending demand of the residents. Since the area came under the Greater Chennai Corporation, things have changed for the better. Water connections have been rigged up, but water is yet to reach the sump,” Mr. Srinivasan says.

Besides water connections, garbage continues to be a problem. Some residents say that garbage was collected every day by Corporation workers and the streets were cleaned at night. However, “garbage is now collected once in a week and it is dumped on empty plots, instead of being taken to the dump. And there is no proper mechanism for garbage collection”, says Indra of Rettaimalai Srinivasan Street.

Some other residents demand more street-lights and parks. “As urbanisation grows rapidly, there is a need for more well-lit streets and space for children,” says Selvamani, a resident of Bajanai Koil Street.

Playground coming up

Sudharshanam S., MLA of the Madhavaram Assembly Constituency, says much efforts have been made to create basic amenities such as drainage, water connection, and street-lights. The construction of a drainage system has been progressing steadily. A playground is being built as a lot of footballers live in this area,” he says.

As for the transport connectivity, he says that by drawing from the Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development Fund, he plans to establish seven to eight bus shelters for the residents of
Kathirvedu. “The shelters should come up shortly and I will also look into the other issues.”