Anakaputhur, a former weavers' colony, now on the verge of development
The famous Real Madras Handkerchief, Bleeding Madras and Madras Checks came from the handlooms of this village near Pallavaram. They used to export it to Nigeria for a long time.
'We used to have 5,000 looms at one point. But now there are just a hundred-odd left. After the Nigerian market crashed and due to lack of marketing avenues, we stopped the Madras Checks and switched over to lungies, and then to jute-based products and also to sarees. Some of us make silk cottons and others jute-cottons. The clear waters of the Adyar ensured our colours stayed and did not fade easily. It gave depth to our colours. Now the river is polluted. Unless steps are taken to prevent waste from leather factories near Nagalkeni from entering the river, the quality of the water will not improve,' said C, Sekar, a third-generation weaver who, along with his family, makes cotton sarees infused with banana fibre.
Anakaputhur used to be known as Aanai Kattu Puthur or the place where elephants were tied up for the kings of nearby Pallavapuram or Pallavaram, which is nearby. Despite being just 3km away from the Meenambakkam airport, many portions of the locality remain laid back and quiet during non-peak hours.
'The old settlements where homes still have tiled roofs have not yet changed much. Some of those remain empty too as people want modern facilities in homes. Most streets in these areas are muddy and turn slushy during rains. However, areas like Balaji Nagar and Gurusamy Nagar have witnessed slow redevelopment over the years. Housing plots have turned into flats with six or four houses each,' explained S. Arjun, who runs a real estate business in nearby Pallavaram.
The widening of the Pallavaram – Kundrathur – Poonamallee Road taken up by the Highways Department and removal of encroachments along the river by the Water Resources Department offer the promise of development. The winding 13 km-long road that runs via Anakaputhur, connects GST Road in the south to Poonamallee High Road in the west. 'This road will offer connectivity to the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur from Meenambakkam. On widening to 24 metres, the road will become safer and allow larger vehicles to take it. Thus, leading to more development,' explained a retired Highways engineer.
Residents hope that the upgradation of the Anakaputhur Municipality and merger with the Tambaram Corporation would bring about improvements in the infrastructure. Underground drain works are nearing completion in several places. 'We were a municipality with just 18 wards with no wherewithal to provide basic facilities. Now things are looking better. We were told that our roads would be soon laid,' said Krishnaveni, a resident.
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