The ambitious Cooum River Eco Restoration project hinges a lot on the removal of encroachments.
The Water Resources Department started the drive to evict encroachments in 2016. But it has made little progress due to stiff opposition and cases pending in courts. Of the about 12,000 encroachments identified on the nearly 18 km stretch between Koyambedu and the Napier bridge, only 3,500 have been cleared so far. The slum dwellers who have been moved to other areas have been unable to settle down and earn a livelihood.
Many of those facing eviction say that they are being unfairly singled out. “Whenever we attempt to clear small commercial or residential structures encroaching into the river bed, they complain that large commercial buildings such as hotels remain intact. During the drive to remove a hotel at Koyambedu recently, we were denied entry despite eviction orders,” said a WRD official.
If the encroachments are cleared as planned, the department will be able to widen the river to its original width of 200 m, officials say. “Every time we make some progress, we have to deal with fresh court orders. This has pushed deadlines many times. Apart from this, there is a delay in undertaking surveys by the Revenue Department due to lack of manpower,” said an official.
Unless encroachments are cleared and sewage outlets plugged, it is nearly impossible to desilt the river, officials added.
A human tale
Meanwhile, for families that once had homes alongside the Cooum, it is a daily struggle to eke out a living in the resettlement colonies. From living in the heart of the city, they have been moved to the suburbs. Their sources of income have vanished and they have minimal or little access to education and health care.
“There is no proper bus facility in this place. We have to walk at least 15 km to board an MTC bus. Our lives have completely changed now,” said K. Radha, a former domestic worker, who is currently looking for a job near her new home in the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board tenement in Serapanancheri, near Padappai.
Families claim the shifting has pushed them further into poverty and debt. “The companies nearby do not want to hire us. We don’t match their expectations in terms of qualifications or age, and some have bluntly refused us jobs on hearing that we come from here,” said Susheela, a resident of Perumbakkam, who was moved from Aminjikarai last year.
