Federation urges Collector to act on pending civic issues

Chengalpattu Collector M. Veerappan peruses the representation submitted by C. Murugaiyan, secretary of the Federation of Civic and Welfare Associations in Zones 2 and 3 of Tambaram Corporation, in Chengalpattu recently. Members of the Federation of Civic and Welfare Associations in Zones 2 and 3 of Tambaram Corporation, led by its secretary C. Murugaiyan, met Chengalpattu District Collector M. Veerappan recently and submitted a representation seeking action on eight long-pending public welfare issues.The Federation raised issues relating to the protection of lakes and waterbodies in Tambaram and surrounding areas, traffic congestion, the proposed railway subway near Vaishnava College, electricity infrastructure, waste management and taxation.The demands included:Vaishnava College railway gate subway: The Federation urged the authorities to implement the 2014 project report for a subway capable of accommodating government bus services, citing correspondence from the Highways Department’s Divisional Engineer.Encroachment removal: It sought action against illegal structures on major roads, particularly Rajendra Prasad Road, as assured by the Corporation earlier.Waterbody protection: The Federation sought concrete measures to protect lakes and natural drainage channels, referring to an assurance given by the Executive Engineer on July 26, 2024.Hasthinapuram sub-station: It sought expediting the establishment of the sanctioned electricity sub-station in Hasthinapuram.Waste management: The Federation urged the district administration to withdraw the directive requiring residents of multi-storey apartment complexes to manage their own municipal waste.GST Road traffic: It sought the immediate removal of the median barricade near Saravana Stores on GST Road to ease congestion.Taxation: The Federation sought strict adherence to existing Government Orders and administrative circulars while levying property and local taxes to avoid placing an undue burden on the public.G.O. 114: It urged all government departments to comply with G.O. 114, dated August 2, 2008, which mandates written responses to petitions submitted by recognised public welfare associations.Murugaiyan said the Collector had instructed his administrative team to place all eight demands on the agenda of an upcoming joint departmental coordination meeting involving the relevant government authorities.“Though all the eight demands require attention, our immediate concern is the need to retrieve and restore lost waterbodies,” Murugaiyan said. “Considering future generations, the authorities should act fast to restore lakes that are being damaged by sewage discharge, invasive vegetation and encroachments,” he said.He alleged that authorities were turning a blind eye to illegal encroachments despite multiple court orders directing that no sympathy be shown to encroachers.Separately, the Federation urged the Tambaram Corporation Commissioner to convene a meeting of stakeholders, including residents, activists and officials, at least once every three months to discuss pending civic issues.“Instead of relying solely on inputs from officials, the Government and the Corporation should obtain first-hand information and act on ground realities,” Murugaiyan said. Meanwhile, members of the People’s Awareness Forum, led by senior activists Santhanam and Meenakshisundaram, performed aarthi and offered floral tributes at Pallavaram lake on August 27, in a symbolic appeal to the Water Resources Department to take steps to stop sewage from entering the lake. Published - August 29, 2026 10:42 pm IST