Madurai Corporation ward 20 councillor C. Nagajothi Sithan submitted a petition to the Madurai Corporation officials, urging them to complete the underground drainage (UGD) works left half-finished in his ward.

Mr. Sithan, along with his supporters, staged a protest during the Corporation grievance meeting at Zone 2 office here on Tuesday, demanding immediate implementation of incomplete projects and works.

“Although the UGD project in Vilangudi area of ward 20 was completed a year ago, household drains have not yet been connected to the system. As a result, the project remains half-finished, completely useless and a waste of public funds,” he alleged in his petition.

Due to the inefficiency of the private contractor hired to collect household waste in Madurai, the work was often skipped for days together, forcing the residents to dump the household garbage in open places.

According to the petition, the ongoing road construction along the Vaigai riverbank has blocked the sewage lines from Ramamoorthy Nagar in Old Vilangudi, which previously drained into the river, causing wastewater stagnation locally.

“While it is necessary to prevent sewage disposal into the Vaigai, the stagnation of sewage in nearby residential areas must also be cleared immediately,” the petition noted.

Vilangudi dump yard, which was designed to segregate waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable categories, must be revived and made operational again, the petition stressed.

“CCTV cameras should be installed in the streets of ward 20 to prevent crimes and unnecessary activities. This should be done using the funds allocated for the purpose in 2025,” the councillor said.

Also, permanent security arrangement should be made at the local panchayat union school. “Due to lack of surveillance, trespassers are using the school campus for anti-social activities at night,” he alleged.

The other demands like laying new roads and repairing the existing ones should be fulfilled immediately, Mr. Sithan stressed.