A host of problems, including ganja peddling and predators lurking in dark corridors and roads, are haunting residents in Perumbakkam Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) tenements.
The TNSCB has allotted six houses in the tenements to be converted into police outposts, which requires a government order, officials said.
“The corridors in all the blocks are dark and even the roads have insufficient lighting. Under the cover of darkness, a few people sell ganja. Police patrolling should be done regularly,” said a woman.
The residents claim they have lost hope on the police. “Recently, a 10-year-old girl playing in the corridor was molested by a 58-year-old man. But the police showed no interest in taking action against the man. Most often we get threatened when we go to lodge a complaint,” added Keerthana, another woman.
‘Set up police station’
Residents want the TNSCB to install CCTV cameras and set up an All-Women police station in the area as early as possible. They also wanted police boys club and sports to be introduced for youngsters so that they do not fall prey to a life of crime.
Vanessa Peter, policy researcher, Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), said the activities of a few people were making the tenements unsafe for women and children. She felt that high-mast lamps and gates in every block can make a difference.
“If more shops are constructed in the tenements, there will people on the street and this will also reduce crime. Women and child helpline numbers should be displayed across the tenements,” she said.
The TNSCB officials says that they have allotted six houses on the premises for the police. Police officials claim that stations and outposts will be set up on the premises once the government order is issued.
A senior TNSCB official said that lights had been installed around some of the blocks. “People break the streetlights. It is for the residents to take care of the facilities,” he said.
