Officials evicted families dwelling on Spurtank Road in Chetpet on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU
Around 20 families, who have been residing for a few years on the platform on Spur Tank Road, which runs alongside the Cooum river, have been evicted on Tuesday without being supplied with the choice of any alternative housing or momentary shelters.
The families, who mentioned they belonged to the Kuruman tribal neighborhood, resided in makeshift shelters on the highway. They made brooms, chairs and different artefacts from bamboo and bought them the place they resided.
V. Krishnaveni, aged round 50, mentioned she moved right here no less than two to a few a long time in the past. B. Polaiya, a 50-year-old man, mentioned no less than three generations of families have lived within the locality, with many possessing Aadhaar playing cards, and voter id playing cards.
While some have enrolled their youngsters in faculties run by the Greater Chennai Corporation close by, many others have admitted their youngsters in government-run hostels in Sullurupeta in Andhra Pradesh, the place the families have their roots, because it was tough to get Scheduled Tribe certificates for them right here.
Ms. Krishnaveni mentioned the families have been prepared to shift in the event that they have been offered alternative housing elsewhere by way of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board. “With little children and women, where will we go in this scorching sun. We have not had water or eaten anything since morning,” she mentioned.
Mr. Poulaiya mentioned one of many individuals from the neighborhood was issued a letter by the police few weeks in the past, stating that they have been encroaching on the pavements. Apart from that, he mentioned the folks didn’t obtain any communication or supplied alternative housing. “Today morning they came and said they have to evict us,” he mentioned.
Vanessa Peter, founder, Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities, mentioned the eviction amounted to a human rights violation because the officers didn’t supply any momentary shelter, and even meals or water to the folks. “The government claims to have a standard operating procedure to be followed for carrying out such evictions in a “humane” approach. However, no such humane method appears to be adopted on this case,” she mentioned.
Later within the night, Greater Chennai Corporation officers supplied to maneuver the families to a shelter. When contacted, a GCC official mentioned that the eviction was carried out primarily by the Water Resources Department and the Corporation supplied them lodging briefly in a shelter. While the neighborhood claimed there have been round 20 families, officers mentioned there have been 13 families and some retailers. “A decision on permanent alternative housing have to be taken by the government,” the official mentioned.
