Erstwhile residents of Davidson Street near CSI Wesley Tamil Aalayam in Broadway, who had been persuaded to shift to Kannagi Nagar by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), staged a protest against the alleged poor shape of the new houses.
“We have been standing in the road for the last six hours. The houses are absolutely unclean and there is no way we can live in them,” said Dakshayani, a resident.
After resisting initially, the group of residents agreed to move to Kannagi Nagar on Monday morning. 17 of the 60 residents had moved earlier. The others, along with their belongings, were taken to their new homes in 12 tempo trucks.
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The residents said that they were in for a shock when they saw their new houses.
“The authorities had said that we may have to temporarily live in a set of apartments since the new houses meant for us were not ready yet.
They promised to ensure that the temporary apartments would be cleaned and so, we agreed to shift. But, when we arrived, the apartments were shabby and unclean. The facilities and sanitation here are appalling. We won’t enter unless it is cleaned,” Dakshayani said.
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“We are stranded and have not eaten since morning. No one is here to help us in any way. The officials have already removed our shanties and so, we cannot go back to Davidson Street,” said another resident.
CMRL officials said the residents had to be shifted to enable continuation of metro rail work.
“In two weeks time, we will make arrangements with respect to their ration cards, pension and also get their children admitted to a school there,” said a CMRL official.
“Cleaning has begun”
A police officer in Kannagi Nagar said the cleaning of houses had already begun.
“It will surely be completed by Tuesday morning,” the police officer added.