Washermen working at the ghat near Muthumandapam, of ward-59 of the
Vellore Corporation, have sought water pipelines and renovation of the
decrepit godown and drainage facilities in the area.

More than 65
washermen live in the area while dhobis from other areas also work
there. They have been washing clothes on the nearby Palar riverbed for
several years. The then Vellore Municipality had constructed 60 washing
stones with water tubs and a godown in September 1963.

“Of the 60
stones, 20 were recently demolished for the construction of a Animal
Birth Control Programme Centre, while 20 more have been unused since
1963 due to absence of pipelines,” said P Ravi, president of the Vellore
City Washermen Union. He added that bushes were growing near the unused
stones.

The washermen complained that they received water for
only about 15 minutes in a day as two bore wells, which were sunk for
their use about 5 years ago, were going dry. They claimed that this
delayed their work.

Sivakumar, deputy secretary of the union said,
“There is no drainage line. This makes the place marshy. The water can
either be released into the ground or connected to the nearby sewage
treatment plant.”