MADURAI: Amid mounting complaints over dust and debris from construction sites, Madurai corporation has issued a directive to builders, mandating the use of green safety nets to cover ongoing construction activities and material-laden vehicles.
The civic body warned that uncovered sites and demolition works pose serious environmental hazards, threaten public safety, and disrupt traffic flow. Violators will face penalties and legal action. Corporation commissioner Chitra Vijayan told TOI that fines will be enforced as complaints continue to rise.
Despite these measures, the city’s efforts to handle construction and demolition (C&D) waste remain stalled. More than three years after announcing a 6 crore project to establish a C&D waste processing plant, the corporation has yet to finalise an agency to execute it. The plant, proposed in 2022, was to be set up at Vellaikal with the capacity to process 100 tonnes of waste per day under a public private partnership (PPP) model on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) basis. In addition to the main facility, three collection centres were proposed at Vellaikal, Kochadai, and Gatelock Road.
Once operational, the plant would recycle debris into paver blocks, kerb stones, tiles, and brick dust — materials that could be reused in corporation works or sold in the market if there’s surplus production. Officials said the initiative was designed to reduce illegal dumping and generate revenue for the civic body.
However, illegal dumping continues unchecked in several parts of the city, particularly in housing board areas in Villapuram and Anupanadi, Ismailpuram, Bethaniyapuram, and Annaiyur. Despite imposing fines of up to 10,000 on violators and deploying zonal engineers to monitor activity, the issue persists, said officials.
M Rajan, chief of Vaigai Nathi Makkal Iyakkam, said the problem started during the Smart City projects. “Much of the construction waste from Smart City works was dumped near the riverbank in Bethaniyapuram. That area is now being used by private builders too,” he said.
Rajan said that the unchecked dumping not only makes commutes unpleasant but also contributes to deteriorating air quality in several localities.
