Residents of Gandhigram Panchayat are facing difficulties due to the ineffective implementation of the solid waste management scheme. Garbage and plastic waste are reportedly being dumped and burned in the rainwater drainage channels along the national four-lane highway. As a result, people who go for morning walks are affected by the smoke and pollution, and rainwater is unable to flow into nearby ponds.
Gandhigram Panchayat, located in Athoor Union of Dindigul district, comprises several villages and localities including Gandhigram, Soundaram Nagar, EB Colony, Sornammal Nagar, Samiyarpatti, Anna Nagar, Ceylon Colony, and Abirami Nagar. Due to the failure of the panchayat administration to properly implement the solid waste management programme, garbage has been accumulating throughout the panchayat area.
In particular, on both the eastern and western sides of the service road leading to Chinnalapatti from the Dindigul–Madurai National Four-Lane Highway, rainwater drainage channels have been constructed to carry runoff from the road and flyover. However, both the Gandhigram Panchayat administration and the National Highways authorities have allegedly neglected these channels, resulting in overgrown vegetation and the accumulation of garbage and plastic waste.
Consequently, rainwater is unable to reach nearby ponds, leading to the wastage of water that could otherwise be stored and utilized. Instead, the rainwater continues to flow along the roads.
Local residents have appealed to the district administration to take immediate action by clearing the garbage and plastic waste from the rainwater drainage channels, preventing the wastage of rainwater, and ensuring that the water is directed to nearby ponds for storage and groundwater recharge.