Over 17K families from Cooum, Adyar river banks resettled: Min

CHENNAI: Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises TM Anbarasan on Wednesday said 17,294 families who resided on Cooum and Adyar river banks have been resettled.

“Out of 23,796 urban poor families on Adyar and Cooum river banks 17,294 families have been resettled and the remaining 6,502 families will be resettled before December this year. The families living on the banks of Adyar and Cooum are identified by the Water Resources department and they are resettled in THUHDB tenements based on the requisition of the Water Resources department in coordination with the GCC and other line departments as part of the Restoration of Chennai City Waterways,” said the Minister.

Of a total of 23,796 identified families, 14,257 are in Cooum and 9,539 are on Adyar river banks. Of the 17,294 resettled families 12,832 were from Cooum and 4,462 from Adyar river bank. Of 6,502 families to be resettled, 1,425 are from Cooum and 5,077 are from Adyar.

However, the Water Resources department in association with the Revenue department, GCC and TNUHDB is set to undertake an enumeration of families living on the banks of Buckingham canal and other small canals draining into Adyar and Cooum.

Minister also said at the time of resettlement, Chennai River Restoration Trust is providing shifting and subsistence allowances, beneficiary shares and other livelihood assistance to the families resettled from the river banks.