The Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB), on Wednesday, commenced demolition of houses in blocks that were identified as “unsafe and unfit for human occupation.” While the work has already begun in Race Course, it will be done in a phased manner in other places.
A.V. Shankar Lal, Executive Engineer of Tamil Nadu Housing Board, Coimbatore, told The Hindu that some of the houses in the second floor of various Tamil Nadu Government Rental Housing Scheme (TNGRHS) apartments were found to be dilapidated and these structures were nearly 30 to 40 years old.
The houses became unsafe for occupation due to lack of periodical maintenance.
Following complaints from occupants and even people living near these structures, District Collector M. Karunagaran constituted a committee that examined the structural stability of the houses.
The committee had recommended that some of the structures were in very poor condition as many of the scheme flats at Race Course, Seeranaickenpalayam, Uppilipalayam, Gandhipuram and Kavundampalayam were built during the period 1967-1980.
Accordingly, notices were served on the allottees living in such blocks to vacate.
As many as 108 houses in DFO Compound and 222 in Thomas Park Housing Unit in Race Course, 54 houses in Seeranaickenpalayam, 192 houses in Uppilipalayam in Singanallur, 84 houses in Gandhipuram were identified for demolition.
The work has commenced in DFO Compound. With regard to Kavundampalayam Housing Unit, 148 of the total of 532 houses had been demolished and tenders have been called for demolishing as many as 384 houses.
Housing Board officials said that the Government was in the process of constructing nearly 2,000 houses for Government employees at Kavundampalayam under the Rental Housing Scheme.
Those persons who had been asked to vacate from these unsafe structures now will be given priority allotment once the construction works are completed, they added further.
