The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) has begun the process of handing over tenements constructed at Sengulam Colony here.
New tenements have been constructed at the same site after demolishing the old structures, which were built in 1964.
The TNSCB officials had to work overtime to convince the families to vacate their houses. Some of them were forced to leave their houses. It took about two weeks for the officials to take control of about four acres of land, where the old tenements were located, in April 2015. Shortly after this, the TNSCB began construction work at the same site to build new tenements for the old beneficiaries.
A total of 685 tenements have been constructed at the site at an estimate of ₹42 crore. The total plinth area of each house is 350 square feet. Each house has individual electricity, water, and underground drainage connection. Ten percent of the total area has been kept for setting up park and playground. Besides new roads, storm water drain provision has also been made at the colony.
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurated the new tenements at the MGR birth centenary celebrations held in Tiruchi recently.
S. Suresh, Executive Engineer, TNSCB, Tiruchi, told The Hindu that the process of formal handing over of houses to the beneficiaries had begun. All 390 beneficiaries, who were identified as original allottees and their legal heirs, were given allotment orders. As demanded by them, they were allotted houses in the blocks where they lived. Some of them had already occupied their houses.
The Board received several applications for allotting remaining houses. Besides the original allottees, some 280 families were living on encroached space at the old tenements when they were razed down in 2015. The applications submitted by them were under consideration.
Mr. Suresh said there had been issues over providing UGD connections, but all of them were solved. The Board paid the UGD deposit and property tax to Tiruchi Corporation on behalf of the beneficiaries.
