Chennai Begins First Phase of Debris Waste Collection in Seven Zones

In yet another step for cleaning the city, Chennai mayor R. Priya on Tuesday flagged off 59 vehicles to start an intensive drive to clear construction and demolition debris from seven zones in Chennai. The collected waste shall be carried away for disposal at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur bulked. The waste generated shall be collected and transcontinently disposed of at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur.

For this purpose, 15 zones have been identified for establishing dump yards within the city limits to discourage unwanted dumping of construction and demolition waste.

In this first phase, the collection will take place in the northern zones of Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam, and Adyar. These cleaning operations are expected to be carried out for another two weeks in all zones.

Phase II will encompass the eight remaining zones, namely Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur, and the Perungudi-Sholinganallur area.
Collection of debris within the first phase will take place across the northern zones: Tondiarpet (Zone 4), Royapuram (Zone 5), Thiru Vi Ka Nagar (Zone 6), Anna Nagar (Zone 8), Teynampet (Zone 9), Kodambakkam (Zone 10), and Adyar (Zone 13). Cleaning is expected to last for two weeks for each of those zones.

The second phase will cover the eight remaining zones: Tiruvottiyur (Zone 1), Manali (Zone 2), Madhavaram (Zone 3), Ambattur (Zone 7), Valasaravakkam (Zone 11), Alandur (Zone 12), resolving areas Perungudi and Sholinganallur (Zones 14 and 15).

Despite the earlier efforts of the GCC to find particular waste disposal sites for building and construction debris, it continues to pose a problem with illegal dumping. The Corporation recently imposed a penalty of ₹79,000 on a construction contractor for dumping debris, which was an excellent argument for more stringent enforcement and awareness among the public.

Cleaning the city of all debris reflects Chennai’s efforts towards developing better waste management schemes and cleanliness after public affairs.