For the past one month, R. Arumugam, a resident of Sathyavani Muthu Nagar, has been waiting to occupy the house allotted to him in the newly inaugurated Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) tenements in his locality.
He has not been able to do so as there are no power or water connections. If it is any consolation, he is not alone and there are 391 other families sharing his plight.
There are nearly 1,000 families living in the TNSCB tenements in Sathyavani Muthu Nagar, near Otteri. According to residents, the families have been living here since the mid-1970s.
“Three years ago, government officials said they were going to demolish a few dilapidated blocks and construct new ones. Due to this, 392 families had to leave their homes,” said Arumugam.
While some took up rented accommodation nearby, others who could not afford that stayed in huts.
Three years to build
“It took three years to finish the construction and on March 1, it was inaugurated by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa through video conferencing. However, till date, there is no electricity or water connection,” said E.D. Elango, coordinator, Thevai Iyakkam, an NGO fighting for education and shelter for the downtrodden.
All the families are still forced to live in huts in unhygienic conditions. Many people suffered from typhoid due to this, residents say.
“Many who went to other areas had promised the houseowners that they would vacate by March, hoping they could move into their new houses. But now, since they have not, the rents have been increased,” he said.
Residents say that now the tenements have become a den for antisocial elements. “Many people have started drinking here as it is dark and no one can spot them. Teenagers use it as a hideout for smoking ganja. When we contacted the TNSCB officials, they were not giving proper details of when we can move in and were harsh to us,” said M. Sudeep, a resident.
Besides, he said that the new houses were smaller compared to the old ones. “There is no place even to keep water pots. The old ones were spacious,” he added.
Worse still is the fact that the water connection to the nearby tenements has also been cut.
“When they started constructing the new buildings three years ago, their connection was cut. Till date, it has not been restored properly,” he said.
TNSCB officials were not available for comment.
