Metro water, panchayat officials pass the buck, residents suffer

Chennai: With metro water and the panchayat passing the buck over maintenance of a 30-feet-road in Ayyapathangal that belongs to the latter, not only have mosquitoes started breeding in the water stagnant there since 2015 floods, encroachments have also cropped up on the land.

“Mosquitoes and snakes are a persistent worry,” said resident P. Senthil Kumar. While metro water officials claim that though the land belongs to them, they have forwarded a letter for action to panchayat officers but the latter say that the work has to be done by metro water.

“The water had become black a few months back, and despite orders from the metro water department, the panchayat office has been sitting on the issue,” Senthil added.

“The water will keep filling in until the land is levelled. Since the land belongs to them, the metro water should put more soil and level it,” said Issac, the panchayat secretary.

While several shops and meat shops have found their way on the land, VAO officials said eviction was done in 2014.  For the past many months, Senthil Kumar has been running from department to other trying to get officials to look into both issues.  “We have passed the petition to the Alandur tahsildar’s office.

The eviction of encroachments has to be done in the presence of police. We are waiting for orders from the tahsildar,” the officer continued.

When contacted, tahsildar of Alandur taluk Rani, said, “We have informed the local body and PWD about the encroachment but due to elections, the work is stalled. As soon as the elections are over, all issues be resolved.”