Bharathi Park, opposite to Avinashi Lingam University, Coimbatore, is facing a bigger threat of disease, sound pollution, and fire accidents due to extreme negligence and bad maintenance of the area behind the park which is being turned into a dumpyard and an abandoned workshop for old vehicles.

Bharathi Park is frequented by walkers and joggers. There are lots of apartments and houses all over the area. The workshop has been there, behind the park, for a very long time, where old vehicles are brought in for repair. The garbage-trucks were initially only parked there, but soon, these trucks started to dump their contents right there.

S. Jayachandran, who runs an ad agency, said, “The place was a workshop for repairing trucks and other vehicles a long time ago. But repair works have mostly stopped now. The garbage-trucks are parked there from early morning. The waste is dumped right there and its starts smelling. This has made it a breeding ground for mosquitoes and reptiles. This is a greater threat for us now. I personally have been fighting to clear the area for a long time. I had even complained to the Commissioner and filed online petitions with the Tamilnadu Chief Minister. But no action has been taken. They give plenty of excuses. The ITC has started putting up sheds around the area to prevent photographing.”

A.G.T Murthy, Senior Manager of Canara Bank, said, “I have been residing here for the past 40 years. This area is fast becoming another Vellalore dumpyard. The workshop is also making a lot of noise. The noise begins at 7.45 in the morning and continues until late evening. I’m going to file a complaint with the Pollution Board. After my retirement, I’m going to make these things right through proper legal channels. This is not the right place to run workshops and dump garbage. If Coimbatore wants to become a smart city, this is not how it should function.”

Dr. Anu Valentina, a resident of Jawahar Nagar, said, “ITC has to take care of this. They are not doing it. There were even some fire accidents due to the garbage. Trees and plants in the area are getting destroyed due to this. Micromanagement should be done to remove the garbage.”