Furore around BSNL quarters in Perambur after Balaji encounter

CHENNAI: Around 50 acres of prime land worth Rs 2,000 crore with BSNL in Vysar Nagar was cordoned off by the city police after the encounter of Kakathopu Balaji on Wednesday.

The sprawling land had witnessed a shoot-out between Balaji and police, before the north Chennai bound gangsters was killed by police.

However, this is not an isolated case. There have been several incidents in the past where the land had been used by anti-social elements for meetings, and had also been a hideout for miscreants. In June 17 last year, DT Next had carried a news item about the land being used by drug peddlers and other illegal activities.

“The land is not only deserted sans streetlights but it’s also a sales spot for local ganja peddlers. A few years ago, there was a clash between drug sellers and an associate of the slain BSP leader Armstrong over a turf war,” recalled a former AIADMK MLA in north Chennai.

“The day was unusual for residents of Vyasarpadi and Perambur after the news of Kakathope Balaji’s encounter broke. The neighbourhood needs regular police patrolling and surveillance,” said V Sathiabalan, former telecom advisory member.

For more than six years, the area has been without adequate protection and has around 400 abandoned dilapidated apartments that once housed BSNL employees and postal staff. “The space has to be utilised properly. Otherwise, incidents like this, where the police say that the deceased was hiding in the premises, will happen again,” he pointed out.

When DT Next visited the area on Wednesday the police had cordoned off the area as it was a crime scene. “BSNL should either convert this land to a staff quarters or into some other organisation instead of keeping it the way it is,” opined Sathiabalan.

Earlier the street was used for driving classes and sports activities. Now it’s an open bar and not a safe place for the general public, especially women. There are no police patrolling in the area either,” alleged Kevin K, a resident.

“My grandfather served in BSNL and we used to live here. It was clean and filled with greenery. But now it’s a dreaded place with dilapidated buildings,” lamented another resident.

When contacted, a senior BSNL official said that after 2020, many BSNL employees were given voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), due to which they vacated the premises leaving the quarters deserted and isolated.

“There are plans to lease a partial portion of land to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) for development projects. BSNL is also planning to cover the whole area with compound walls on all sides. BSNL had already asked the police to strengthen patrolling in the neighbourhood to reduce the incidence of crime,” the official added.