Sriram N., who works in the credit processing division of a bank in the city, had never heard of De Monte Colony. But that was before he caught up with the recently released Tamil horror flick that features that ‘ill-fated’ colony prominently – and that prompted him to venture into the locality on Saturday evening.
But he was disappointed, and so were many others trying to see what was spooky about this colony, off TTK Road in Alwarpet. For the last couple of days, the entire stretch has been cordoned off from both sides, in a bid to restrict visitors and lookers on. “I wanted to take a peek at the road after watching the film,” says Sriram, who lives in Kodambakkam.
This sleepy locality, replete with ghost stories, has sprung to life in the last few weeks following the release of the film. “Many youngsters have started come here, even late in the evening,” says Bhagyam, who sells lunch and tiffin outside the Corporation park in the area, “Some of them even hurl bottles at the empty houses.”
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While Ajay Gnanamuthu, the director of the hit Tamil film that featured the locality prominently, is unaware of the recent closure of the road, he says that a lot of viewers have sent him messages on social media about heading out there. “Though I’ve personally not gone to the colony after the film’s release, I’m aware that many viewers are venturing there. I even got a video of a group who went there immediately after watching the film,” he says.
Residents of the area, however, seem happy about the road’s closure. “It was a nuisance, with many people thronging the road of late,” says M. Kannan of Raja and Co., a shop in the locality. “Cordoning it off will prevent people from going inside.”
The property in the neighbourhood belongs to Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore, which has put up a notice stating that police will take action against trespassers.
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Chennai Corporation officials said they have not given anyone permission to erect barricades on the road. “We are trying to get in touch with the representatives of the Catholic Church,” said an official of Chennai Corporation.
According to sources in the Madras-Mylapore Archdiocese, the local police inspector has given a letter to regulate people who visit the area in the night after watching the new movie. Small barricades have been put up.
Convener of the Forum for Catholic Unity M.G. Devasahayam said the land measuring 186 grounds owned by the trust of the Madras-Mylapore Catholic Archdiocese should not have become a ghost place. “Illegal and irregular transactions were done in the past few years. This property is encumbered in irregular dealings; it should have been developed.”
(With additional reporting by Aloysius Xavier Lopez)