Mano Vijaykumar and Anita Hegde with the support staff at Aashiana Apartments in Alwarpet
A section of Rajakrishna Road.
In 2019, a group of residents from Aashiana Apartments at Venus Colony in Alwarpet started Swachh Poes to educate households and businesses in Poes Road and Rajakrishna Road about source segregation and make this “neglected neighbourhood” a model area in terms of sustainability.
Early years
We started with door-to-door visits to spread awareness among our neighbours, which included not just apartment owners but small businesses and vendors, seeking their cooperation. We had divided ourselves into smaller groups to spread the word from Poes Road behind Aashiana to Rajakrishna Street near Eldams Road.
Many were enthusiastic and optimistic. Some were disinterested. Around that time Greater Chennai Corporation had hired an outgoing waste management company to clear segregated waste which did not see the desired result.
Nithya and Ganga Sankar with a conservancy worker
We soldiered on with our efforts to sensitise people to the importance of segregating waste and counselled them on how to adopt environmentally responsible methods of household waste disposal.
The pandemic effect
Post-pandemic, a couple of us from Aashiana resumed our mission that had been left incomplete due to the difficult times. We connected with the officials of the new agency, the GCC, and our local councillor.
The challenges are still on the higher side, given that the stretch which Poes Road and Rajakrishna Street is long, connected to densely populated areas and is easily accessible to many. At times, it is utter chaos.
Poes Road, behind Aashiana Apartments
In the meantime, we have been finding satisfaction taking up other issues in these areas.
Supporting an anganwadi
One morning, we took a look at an anganwadi that had 30 toddlers. We learnt they had a few small requirements, towards which many Aashianites contributed gladly. We also made the authorities aware that a speed breaker was needed near the anganwadi for the safety of the children, and to maintain its surroundings properly.
Currently, Mano Vijaykumar, Ganga Sankar and I, all residents of Aashiana, go around on a daily basis, take turns to call various officials on issues ranging from tree pruning, garbage clearance, illegally dumped debris, pavements requiring repairs, encroachments taking up a large stretch of the road and parked junk cars causing unsanitary conditions.
The young officials of the current waste management agency deserve praise. They respond to requests and address complaints promptly.
When we feel discouraged at times, I connect with people in other parts of Chennai who have succeeded in achieving and maintaining a clean, green environment outside their gates. Encouraging and motivating conversations with them rejuvenate us. Our agenda is to involve more residents of Rajakrishna Street and Poes Road and transform our efforts into a movement; we have succeeded to some extent but we still have a long way to go.
When people say there are improvements, it makes our day.
(Anita Hegde, a resident of Aashiana Apartments and a Green Club volunteer, wrote this article for the Mylapore edition of The Hindu Downtown, under its Readers Write section)
Published – March 09, 2026 10:23 am IST
