At an auto stand in MMDA Colony, sweet aroma from fragrance sticks pierces my nostrils. No special puja is under way. The Greater Chennai Corporation has placed four garbage bins at the entrance of the Arumbakkam Post Office, and a repulsive stench is constantly hanging in the air. Residents as well as Corporation workers dump waste in these bins. What is worse, garbage collected from other divisions are also being dropped in these bins. People urinate and defecate and some even consume alcohol around these bins. After a downpour, the stench from uncleared garbage becomes unbearable. The Postmaster of Arumbakkam Post Office filed a complaint with the officials concerned, including the councillor and assistant commissioner. “These bins were placed at the entrance a year ago. Expressing our displeasure over this, we filed a complaint. It has been three years now and we are still waiting for a positive response,” says Mani, the Postmaster. Autorickshaw associations and residents of MMDA Colony too have filed complaints. “Initially, even though the bins were closed, the stench was strong. And when the bins grew from two to four, the stench became unbearable. The fragrance sticks hardly do the trick,” says Mariappan, an autorickshaw driver. “We understand the main road is the only spot where the bin can be kept; however, having waste from neighbouring blocks dumped in the same place is bound to contribute to overflowing garbage,” says Krishnamoorthy, another autorickshaw driver at the auto stand. Lakshmi, a resident of MMDA Colony, walks to her store in the neighbourhood. She is however forced to take a detour. “I also walk on the right side of the road just to avoid the men who are urinating near the garbage bins,” she says. There are only four points of garbage disposal in Arumbakkam. However, being a highly commercialised neighbourhood, these points are not sufficient to carry the amount of garbage produced by these establishments. Besides, the narrow roads make it difficult for compactors to clear the bins. “The four bins have been placed at the corner of the post office as the roads further are not wide enough for a compactor to get in and collect the garbage. The next point is far up ahead near Vinayagapuram,” says the zonal officer of Zone 8. “We are aware of the issue and the complaints that have been filed. We have made all efforts to accommodate four bins in the place of seven. Being a commercialised area, the bins get filled within an hour after the compactor collects the waste despite three to four rounds of garbage clearance. However, we are planning to distribute the dustbins at equal intervals in the locality, but there is objection to this. Hence, we are chalking out a suitable spot.”

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