Drainage facility still a pipe dream for Lebanon Puram residents

CHENNAI: For what must surely rank as an astonishing piece of revelation, families living in Lebanon Puram in North Chennai, have over generations, spanning 81 years, not had access to proper drainage and water facilities. More than 50 families who reside in the area had moved from Kodungaiyur village after J H MacLean, a member of the Free Church of Scotland Mission, granted them 3.27 hectares of land in 1927 while exercising his powers as a regional collector.
Lebanon Puram is a small area that lies between Madhavaram and Sembium, near Perambur. Situated off Grand North Trunk road, the area is well connected as it lies close to a major entry point to Chennai. Even so, residents are forced to walk over sewage water as the city corporation has not provided with any drainage facility.
"We were one of the earliest settlers in this part of the city. All of us belong to the Adi-Dravidar community and, after father Lee arrived, he gave us this land and built a church for us here. The area was named Lebanon Puram, after the biblical land of Lebanon. The church was constructed in 1934 and we have started living here since. Unfortunately, we are still living in the past as far as basic amenities are concerned. The authorities are yet to install water and drainage pipes in the area," RP Thangathurai, a long-time resident told TOI.
Supplementing Thangathurai's views was Ambrose who runs a small music school."We are peace-loving people and have not taken to protests to demand our rights. Work on the water pipeline, which we have been demanding since 1959, has begun only now. Even that has stopped in the past few weeks. When septic tanks overflow, we have no choice but to wade through sewage water," he said, adding, "Most of us hire lorries to clear sewage water and pay for it with our own money. Lorry drivers refuse to come here because roads are narrow; so we are forced to pay extra for longer pipes to be laid to flush out water. On an average, I spend at least Rs 1,500 to clearing the septic tank at home. Despite remitting taxes regularly little work has gone on to show that the money has been utilised."
R T Shekar, councillor for Irukencheri of which Lebanon Puram is a part, said that even though the area had been left uncared for till recently, development work has begun and would be completed in a few months. "We are going to start laying drainage lines next month. Residents had filed many complaints and we have taken that into account. We are confident that water and drainage facility will be available in the area in the next few months," he said.