Poonamallee: Once paddy patch now a bustling town

Chennai: Poovirundavalli, popularly known as Poonamallee, was a quiet, remote village till the 1980s, where paddy fields and open wells were prevalent — but with Che­n­nai expanding Poona­mallee is now a prime area where budget homes are coming up without solution to civic woes.

The fields and wells paved the way for plots during the late ‘90s and now the plots are converted into budget homes with the price hovering around Rs30 to Rs50 lakh. But the locality falls short in various aspects, particularly civic amenities.

Located adjacent to Che­nnai corporation, the Poo­namallee municipality is dogged by a plethora of ci­vic woes. The first and foremost thing that bothers the public at Poonamallee is the traffic jam on the trunk road, especially just outside the Poonamallee bus depot. Saravanan, an auto driver, says, “Every morning and evening, the traffic is ann­oying. It takes more than half-an-hour to cross Poon­amallee border as many lo­ng-distance buses park alo­ng the roadsides to pick up passengers.”

However, the commuters boarding buses inside the depot have others reasons to worry, as the sanitation inside is appalling. “Spaces were earlier allocated for fruit vendors inside the de­pot. Now they are an open toilet, making the whole place stink,” complains Ravichandran, a commuter. “The scenario inside the depot makes us fear that we would contract infections and the stench from the stinking depot hits you,” he says.

Motorists have more things to worry about apart from the choking traffic – the stray cattle menace po­ses a clear and present danger. Feeding his goat tied to a rope in front his home, Dhanraj says no one cares to regulate the problem. “The police are not cooperative in helping new people entering the municipality. Then, how can we expect them to help save cattle,” he rues.

“The rain is most un­welcome here where once cultivation thrived, as inundation plagues the roads,” he says, adding that the civic body must look into the problem at the earliest.

Traffic police, howeover deny the allegations, as they find that the situation is quite manageable. They have adequate strength to tackle the traffic during pe­ak hours, they claim.

Commissioner B.V. Sur­endra Sha seemed to have solutions for the plethora of civic issues at Poonamallee. “Around '140 crore has be­en allocated to lay stor­mwater drains and the project is in its final phase of execution,” he said.

“The traffic congestion will also be addressed as me­etings have been held with various authorities on the issues. Encroachments will be removed so that pedestrians get space to walk,” he assured.

High-mast streetlights, biomethanation plants are also aw­aited in the municipality. “As a part of beautification, a green belt will be created for 600 metres by planting 1 lakh saplings on the roadside and other areas.”

Poonamalle chairman G.R. Thirumalai said new techniques for managing solid waste are on the list. “Gar­bage will be compre­ssed and taken away for recycling. The undergro­und drainage system was announced by the government will materialise so­on,” he added. “As long-distance buses must compulsorily pass through the depot, it will clear the roads,” he said.

“The area has historical significance as Poon­ama­llee is believed to be the birt­hplace of Thirukatchi Nambi Alwar, a staunch devo­tee of Varadaraja Per­umal. It needs better civic planning,” says octogenarian R. Ranganathan who often sings bhajans in temples located in Tiruvallur district.