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NT Bureau
Chennai, Sept 24:
 

The Chitrakulam tank wears a fresh look after it was  cleaned by the temple authorities.

        The Chitrakulam tank looks bright and clean. The recent, frequent rain has increased the water- level. The management of the Adhi Kesava Perumal Temple, to which it belongs recently undertook a cleaning spree for four days of the entire tank.

        The weeds and dense bushes on the steps were removed, the waters cleaned of silt, garbage and plastic refuse.

        A sum of nearly Rs 20, 000 is spent every four months on the cleaning process of the tank by the temple authorities. Unfortunately the results are short lived. After a couple of days refuse and plastic covers start floating around. As the days pass and the time comes for the next cleaning spree the tank is back to square one. Plastic items and refuse line the four corners and the waters are murky with dust and refuse.

        The temple authorities say that it is a helpless situation. ‘The walls of the tank are low and the shops on the western and northern banks dirty it by throwing vegetable waste, used plastic items and covers. Sometimes plastic bags containing garbage are tossed from the top floors of apartments nearby and they fall into the water.

        Though the gates are locked, the low compound walls are easy to scale. Urchins and miscreants easily scale them, enter the tank premises and misuse it hardly caring about the consequences of desecrating a temple tank. ‘Whenever we spot such acts of misuse we chide them and prevent them. At other times we are unable to keep guard. Cleaning the tank is proving to be a costly recurring affair for us’, said the manager of the temple.

        However growing complaints about the dirtiness and pollution of the tank have made the authorities chalk out a few steps for its future maintenance.

        ‘The presence of shops on the western and northern ends prevents us from raising the walls of the tank. However we plan to raise at least the walls of the tank on the eastern and southern side after the monsoon session. Grills will be erected on top of the walls and will remain covered by sheets through the year except during the time of the float festival. We also plan to appoint a watchman to guard the tank,’ said N C Sridhar, chairman of the board of trustees of the Adhi Kesava Perumal Temple.

        The temple has recently also filed a case for the eviction of the vendors occupying the western and northern sides of the tank. The HR&CE Department has also made recommendations to the Corporation for carrying out the same, informed Sridhar.