A litter loop on a street in Chennai

TVS Avenue Main Road in West Anna Nagar is much-hoofed due to the connectivity it provides to an impressive array of civic and social infrastructure in the neighbourhoods surrounding it. One needs to hit this road to access three popular schools, including Chennai Public School. There are Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) parks around this road and also a GCC playground. A bus stand enjoying huge patronage is in the picture too. And the area also boasts an impressive number of hospitals and clinics. Reasons for driving or walking down this road abound. And there is one reason that sticks out like a sore thumb. People hit this road for dumping garbage. A spot outside Old Cremation Ground on this road attracts garbage of all kinds - domestic garbage and waste from party halls and debris. Waste arrives from near and far. The situation worsens on days when nearby party halls have brisk business and greater garbage to offload. Garbage is not discarded at this spot under cover of darkness, but in broad daylight. Anyone tempted to blame it all on the lack of civic sense among residents and the larger citizenry would do well to try to understand what is at the root of this malaise. Greater Chennai Corporation insists on garbage clearance entirely by door-to-door collection, but the visits of conservancy workers are patchy. And there are no garbage bins in this road and the ones nearby. As a result, people dump waste in this spot. Usually, the waste accumulates for a while before being cleared by the workers employed by GCC. This issue has been reported multiple times over the months on X, tagging the Greater Chennai Corporation handle. Sometimes, this action leads to prompt clearance. But without fail, the situation regresses, returning to the old state of neglect. Clearing garbage promptly on the basis of a complaint just manages the symptoms; the systemic issue remains untouched. A lasting solution would involve regular collection of garbage by conservancy workers, placing bins, penalising the party halls and the public for dumping garbage and transforming this place with plants and a footpath. Published - December 22, 2025 08:51 pm IST

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