Of the 9,529 families in slums along the Adyar, 5,400 families are yet to be resettled. Owing to the “priority to the eco-restoration of the Cooum river”, the resettlement of families along the Adyar have been delayed.
The inspection by civic officials along the Adyar banks during this monsoon had led to resumption of the activity.
“We resettled 4,134 families immediately after the 2015 floods. In the past few years, resettlement of families along the Adyar has not been carried out. Houses will be built by the TNSCB in March. Resettlement may begin after March,” said an official. Work in some areas have been delayed after 700 families near Anakaputhur meander point went to court. Relocation will be taken up after construction of houses in TP Chatram and Perumbakkam. Even as many residents demanded widening of the river, officials said the river will not be widened “beyond the right of way.”
Work on flood protection walls near “breaching points” along the 42 km of the river remains a challenge.
The success of the ₹555.46 crore project is likely to depend on proper resettlement of the encroachers, the officials added.
