A few weeks ago, Mahalakshmi’s aged neighbour died of a heart attack. Her family didn’t know where to bury her.
Soon, the dead woman’s nephew took them to a vacant plot of land, behind a college, 2 km from the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) tenements in Navalur, and buried her quietly.
“We had to make it quick because the local villagers would object to our entering their area, let alone burying the bodies there,” said Mr. Ramani, the old woman’s nephew.
Mr. Ramani, along with hundreds of other families, was moved to the tenements, 55 km from the city, to make way for the Integrated Cooum Eco-Restoration Project.
Even as the families are struggling to cope with the loss of livelihood and access to basic amenities, they say that lack of space to bury the dead has added insult to injury. “Every time someone dies, we have to cremate them in any vacant land we find, quickly and quietly, to avoid fights. This is not what we deserve,” said Suguna, another resident.
“Despite all our requests and assurances from the local authorities, we are still waiting for a separate place to cremate the dead, with dignity,” she said.
The problem exists not only in Navalur but also among families who live in TNSCB tenements in Perumbakkam and Gudapakkam.
In Gudapakkam, near Thirumazhisai, residents have to bury the dead at the site used by local villagers. “Earlier, they raised objections to our using the land. But they cooperate now,” said Radhika, a resident.
However, in Perumbakkam, people complain of overcrowding at the burial site.
The site is insufficient because it is often used to bury the destitute and homeless,” said R. Logakumar, a resident.
“The number of families at these tenements is increasing day by day and it will be helpful if we are allotted a separate place,” he said.
‘Lack of coordination’
Officials from the TNSCB said they had built all facilities within the land allotted to them and that it was the responsibility of the local body authorities to ensure that the needs of the residents were met.
“This shows complete lack of inter-departmental coordination. The poor, who have been resettled, sadly have no dignity in life or in death,” said Vanessa Peter, policy researcher, Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities.
