Six months after house work completion, homeless in Chennai wait for 'grand' opening

CHENNAI: Pushpa (38) and her family of four seek refuge beneath the dimly-lit and poorly-maintained Ayanavaram bus depot, trying to escape the sharp sun and late-night rains since the onset of the northeast monsoon.

Ironically, Pushpa and nine other registered members of the Tamil Nadu Construction Workers Welfare Board have been waiting for the tenements to be handed over that were built six months ago.

However, their wait is growing longer, as the beneficiaries are caught in a maze of political delays in receiving the keys to the tenements. They are not alone as around 160 families, who were promised new tenements after the demolition of the old ones at Mangalapuram, have been waiting for their new homes.

“We were told in March that the tenements would be handed over before the (Lok Sabha) elections earlier this year. Whenever we approach the officials, they give excuses for the delay and give us assurances it will be done soon. Now, they are saying that they are waiting for the Chief Minister’s appointment,” said Geetha, Unorganised Workers Federation, who has been helping workers living on the pavements to benefit from the welfare board’s housing scheme.

Under the scheme, the board paid Rs 36 lakh to the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitation Development Board (TNUHDB) in March this year to allocate nine units for their members in the newly-constructed habitation in Mangalapuram. The beneficiaries have also paid Rs 1 lakh each to the TNUHDB. “We borrowed money at high interest rates to pay our share for the tenement. To this day, we’re paying interest on the loan while continuing to live on the streets,” said Pushpa, a mother of two children.

Pushpa’s elder sister Sivagami said that she had moved to a rented house nearby, fearing for the safety of her teenage daughter. “We lived on the pavement for generations at others’ mercy. We hope the State government will hear our plea and help us to have a roof over our head,” said her husband Mari. Both are construction workers.

Members of the TNUHDB Residents Welfare Board stated that the State government had vacated 160 families living in the tenements in 2019 due to their deteriorating condition. After a couple of months, construction work commenced following the demolition of the old tenements. “All 160 families have been living in rented houses for the last five years. We’re finding it difficult to make ends meet after paying rent,” rued a beneficiary and member of the residents’ association. “The construction and other works were completed earlier this year. So, what’s stopping the government from handing over the tenements to us?”

Another beneficiary, who is also a functionary of the ruling party, claimed that political bigwigs were delaying the handover of tenements. “They are waiting for the CM or deputy CM’s appointment to hand over the tenements. In fact, the officials conducted a demo inauguration function on September 8 through video conferencing,” he said. “Anti-social elements have been using the tenements during late hours, as the premises have no gate. Some of the portions have been found damaged, while liquor bottles were found scattered in many of the units in A and B blocks.”