Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Houses for slum dwellers sought

MADURAI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged the State Government to give an assurance in writing to all slum dwellers of Melavasal (near Periyar bus stand here) that they would be provided houses in the proposed multi-storey housing complex.

The Madurai MP, P. Mohan, and the party’s urban unit secretary, R. Annadurai, on Wednesday interacted with the slum dwellers following a representation from them seeking houses for every family.

“The residents complain that officials are forcing them to leave the place,” the MP said. While Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin announced that 600 houses would be constructed, the officials said that only 480 houses would come up at Melvasal whereas, 560 families were living there, Mr. Annadurai said in a statement.

The families were given Rs. 500 each to set up their temporary shelters at an open ground near Avaniapuram. The residents do not want to leave as they are suspicious of the officials’ oral promise. “They want an order (of allotment) in writing for all the 560 families,” the MP said.

Stating that the Tamil Nadu Housing Board constructed around 500 houses on a two-and-three-quarters of acres of nearby land, the residents wondered why the officials could not construct 560 houses on this land which was more than three-and-a-half acres, Mr. Mohan said.

With the State Government announcing that all those who have been domiciled in a place for more than five years are eligible to get house site pattas, the residents wanted the Government to issue them pattas since they had lived there for more than five decades.

On the choice of the site for temporary shelter, Mr. Mohan said that it was too far away and would cause inconvenience to many of them working in various departments of the Corporation. However, the party wanted the authorities to provide shelter with better basic amenities such as drinking water and toilet. Mr. Annadurai urged the district administration to take a suitable move that did not affect the education of children living in Melavasal.

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