Slum dwellers must not be forcibly removed: activists

Call upon people to lend their voice in support of those affected

November 23, 2017 01:07 am | Updated 07:21 am IST - CHENNAI

CHENNAI, 21/11/2017: Eviction drive on the Cooum bank  as part of the restoration project for the river. The eviction drive began at Thideer Nagar, Thousand Light on Tuesday. Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI, 21/11/2017: Eviction drive on the Cooum bank as part of the restoration project for the river. The eviction drive began at Thideer Nagar, Thousand Light on Tuesday. Photo: R. Ragu

Seventy-three-year-old Sarasa and her only son Velankanni, a watchman, are struggling to prevent their house from getting bulldozed by excavators. Theirs is one of the few houses in Thideer Nagar, Greams Road yet to be brought down to make way for the Cooum River Eco-restoration Project by the Greater Chennai Corporation.

Most houses on the street have been demolished and families have been moved to their new homes at the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) tenements in Perumbakkam. Sarasa remains unwilling and adamant, and does not want to move. “This house is all we have. How can they take it away from us?” she said, holding back her tears.

“This is gross human rights violation,” said C. Lakshmanan, professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), while addressing reporters at a meeting at the Chennai Press Club held by activists demanding authorities to stop forced evictions and relocation of slum dwellers across the city.

“Aren’t these people also a part of the city? Their needs must be addressed by the State, but they are instead being pushed to faraway places,” he said, referring to a recent protest held by slum dwellers from the locality two days ago to stop eviction.

R. Geetha, adviser to the Unorganised Workers Federation, said, “In that case, all the multistoreyed buildings which are constructed on encroached lands must be brought down,” she said.

Activists also pointed to various inadequacies of TNSCB resettlement colonies and the need to provide houses to slum dwellers near their workplaces. They also urged all citizens to voice their support to these people. “The ones who are being evicted play a crucial role in running the city, and we need them too. We hope their cause is suitably addressed soon,” said Devaneyan, director, Thozhamai.

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