Chennai Corporation to conduct mass cleaning drive after Deepavali

Greater Chennai Corporation plans mass waste cleaning post-Deepavali, intensifies fines for open dumping to prevent clogged drains during heavy showers.

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is planning to conduct a mass waste cleaning drive after the Deepavali festival, while also intensifying imposition of fines for open dumping in the city. So far, the GCC has collected nearly ₹7 lakh as fines for open dumping, according to Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran.

The recent heavy rains brought to light how waste had clogged stormwater drains, leading to stagnation in certain areas in Chennai.

The Commissioner said the normal clearance routines were followed after the Ayudha puja festivities, which was only a few days before the first spell of monsoon rains in Chennai. “This may have been the reason for the accumulation of open dumps. Therefore, a city-wide mass clean-up drive is planned after the Deepavali festival to prevent waste from clogging drains in case of heavy showers afterwards.”

A civic official said that only 90 of the 500 gadgets to impose spot fines digitally are currently operational. “All the gadgets will become operational by the end of the month. Imposition of fine will be intensified to avoid the issue of open dumping as much as possible by the end of December,” Mr. Kumaragurubaran said.

During the Ward 12 area sabha meeting in September, residents mentioned that even though workers regularly cleared the openly dumped garbage and used bleaching powder, motorists kept discarding waste at the same spots. They suggested continuous monitoring to address this problem.

According to data from the Greater Chennai Corporation, 25,376 metric tonnes of waste — both garbage (24,933) and garden waste (443) — was collected between October 14 and 18 in all the 15 zones and the Koyambedu market. It was sent to dump yards in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi.

But data also revealed that no garbage collection took place in the Manali Zone (II) on October 15, and that only three tonnes of garden waste (i.e. fallen branches or tree trunks) was cleared. Also, no garden waste was removed between October 16 and 18 from this zone.