The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has earmarked a vacant plot of land for resettled residents at the Perumbakkam tenements. The department made the allotment following a backlash from residents, who alleged that with no place to bury the dead, they had to scramble for space.
In a report published in The Hindu in May, residents of TNSCB tenements from Perumbakkam, Navalur and Gudapakkam, near Thirumazhisai, complained that they were forced to bury the dead in nearby villages but were often driven away as the locals objected.
In Perumbakkam, residents alleged that the space allotted to families was insufficient as an increasing number of people were occupying the tenements, as and when they were evicted under the Integrated Cooum Eco-Restoration Project.
“Also, the site provided to us is used by local authorities to bury corpses of homeless people. There is no space at all,” said Anandi Ramesh, a resident of Perumbakkam. Following the report, the State Human Rights Commission, Tamil Nadu, took cognisance of the issue and ordered the State to probe the matter and resolve it.
Officials from the TNSCB said they had earmarked a 7,000 sq.m. vacant plot in Perumbakkam and were in the process of legally handing over the land to the local body. However, in Navalur, officials said it was the duty of the district administration to help identify lands. “They need to cooperate with us in identifying plots; it is their duty to ensure that the needs of all residents are met,” a senior official said.
