Perungalathur reels under pig menace, pathetic roads

CHENNAI: Perungalathur town panchayat, located just a few kilometres away from Tambaram municipality seems light years away in terms of development. Numerous appeals to the authorities have gone in vain, residents complain. One of the major issues the residents face is pig menace. After a complaint was filed in the high court about the pig menace at Padappai, which is in close proximity to Perungalathur, the court granted seven weeks for the Kancheepuram district administration to take action and file a status report in court. Yet, residents’ rue that there are about 5,000 pigs in the area.

“The pigs often chase children on roads and encroach parks, they have a tendency to bite as well. The creatures which have the ability to litter 20 to 30 pigs a year are the reason for most of the diseases in the area,” said S. Ramanathan, a resident.  Another problem, which has added to the woes, recently is the protest over Tasmac outlets. After the state government issued an order to relocate the shops on the highway, many shops mushroomed at Perungalathur.

“Tasmac outlet, which was shifted to Annai Anjum Nagar at Perungalathur from Tambaram junction. Agitated protesters set it ablaze and that fuelled many protests that followed. Till date, the authorities took no action,” rued 21-year-old R. Karthik.

Like most other town panchayats, the roads at Perungalathur are also in a pathetic condition. Residents’ say the traffic snarls, which were faced only at Perungalathur junction earlier have now stagnated Outer Ring Road. “Stormwater drains under construction occupy half of the road and there are no traffic diversions. During peak hours, it gets difficult,” added Karthik.

Though the panchayat constructed numerous water tanks in the previous year, most of them are left unused. Inhabitants allege that some residents have illegal water connections to their homes that have huge private tanks. When contacted, officials from the Perungalathur town panchayat said they would not like to comment on the issue. Repeated attempts to get reactions from the department failed.