Residents of a few pockets in the Okkiyam Thoraipakkam village panchayat, have been suffering due to the round-the-clock burning of plastics, kitchen waste and other forms of garbage. The village panchayat is among the 25 rural local bodies of St. Thomas Mount Panchayat Union (also called St. Thomas Mount Block). On the city's fringes and located off Rajiv Gandhi Salai or Information Technology Corridor, it has been witnessing massive development in construction of software and residential complexes. Over two tonnes of garbage generated from houses, commercial establishments and many of the software complexes head to a vast open space in Murugesan Nagar, coming under the panchayat limits. There it is burnt, resulting in thick billow of smoke all day. "We read reports about similar village panchayats resorting to composting of kitchen waste and recycling of plastic waste. Why can't it be followed here,' asked Venkatesh, a resident of Murugesan Nagar. The smoke emanating from the garbage dumping yard has its effect on the adjoining Neelankarai village panchayat and the Perungudi town panchayat, where residents complain that smoke and the accompanying stench has made life miserable. The problem of burning garbage has been acute for the past six months as the quantity of waste dumped there seems to be increasing, Mr. Venkatesh said.