59 families of pavement dwellers allotted houses in KP Park

The dream of owning a house in the State capital came true for 59 families of pavement dwellers. The families, who had refused to move from the pavements near Egmore railway station, took turns on Tuesday to thank MLA I Paranthaman, who alloted houses for them.

“We were upset with the officials for evicting us last year and we had no hopes of getting a house. But the MLA had promised us houses. Our friends who were evicted two decades back for the construction of Nehru Stadium are yet to get houses but we were lucky,” the families told the officials and the MLA during a function organized to distribute the government orders for their new houses.

“Today was a fulfilling day for me to see the happy faces of the people who received their slum clearance board orders for new tenements at KP Park,” Egmore MLA I Paranthaman said. The new houses were issued based on the instructions of the Chief Minister. The advantage for those evicted from Egmore is that they are moving within the Egmore constituency itself, the MLA noted.

According to official sources, the beneficiaries can move to the tenements any time as the houses are ready. The structures range up to 400 square feet.

“After the eviction, the civic body allotted shelter for the homeless at Kannappar Thidal near Choolai and the MLA organised the daily meals for the homeless,” said J Krishnamurthy, a local DMK functionary.