Madurai residents protest trash bins along Vaigai river, slam ineffective civic body

Madurai: The roadside along the southern bank of the Vaigai river in ward 49 has turned into a dumping yard, with all types of waste being discarded both on the roadside and along the riverbank.Residents of Nelpettai have condemned the Madurai corporation administration for converting the stretch into a garbage dumping zone by placing more than 10 trash bins there. They requested corporation officials to remove the trash bins from the area and restore the road to a clean and hygienic condition, by restarting regular garbage collection.A Muhammad Adam, a resident of Nelpettai said that earlier, waste from local meat, fish and chicken shops was collected twice daily using the corporation’s garbage collection tractor.However, for the past two months, the tractor service was halted, and instead new trash bins were placed along the Vaigai riverbank road, causing significant inconvenience to the public using the thoroughfare.“If this situation persists, we will mobilize the local public and stage a road blockade protest to condemn the ineffective corporation administration.” Adam said.M Rajan, founder of Vaigai Nathi Makkal Iyakkam, said that the dumping of waste including meat waste on the riverbank and also into the river happens frequently.

He urged for a full cleanup of the Vaigai river in that area to remove the waste from the riverbed as well.A senior corporation official said that regular garbage collection happens in the area. “Apart from the regular morning and night garbage collection drives, we have also started an afternoon drive to collect the garbage,” he said.“Due to the excess amount of waste, we have placed multiple bins on the side of the road to reduce the amount of waste being thrown on the roadside and into the river,” the official said explaining it was one of the preventive measures aimed towards keeping the river clean.