Evicted, re-settled and forgotten in Panruti

CHENNAI: Guru (37) of the Irula community is busy collecting wood and materials on a Sunday afternoon. The father of 9 children and a handful of grandchildren is toiling to stretch his shelter, now covered only with a tarpaulin sheet, by a few inches.

This has been the life of Guru, an agriculture labourer and his large family, since they were shifted to Raja Ganapathi Nagar, a deserted and neglected resettlement site in Kadampuliyur of Panruti taluk, Cuddalore.

Hundreds of resettled families, including Guru’s, have been struggling for shelter, food, work and dignity for years. And, officials’ apathy piles on the challenges and makes their lives harder.

Caught up with his work, Guru said that they were shifted to Kadampuliyur several years ago.

“Some of us were given namuna patta (a conditional patta) but most of us were not. But all of us felt like we need to fend for ourselves,” he added. “Before us, many others were shifted here by the government. And, all of us have been deprived of necessities, while facing different social evils.”

Background

In 2015, around 36 families were shifted from Indira Kalaiyarangam, after the pumped-out water from the mines of Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) Limited, resulted in inundation.

Citing flooding as the reason, their homes were demolished. The residents were shifted to a government school-turned-relief camp in October 2015.

When they were asked to move out of the school, the Cuddalore district administration shifted them to Kadampuliyur and promised to allot plots.

As per data sourced by S Amirthavalli, a Cuddalore-based activist working on Dalit and tribal empowerment, out of 36 families resettled there, 32 belonged to Scheduled Caste (SC) and four to Most Backward Class (MBC) communities.

In March 2016, over 41 families from Paalpannai of Neyveli were also shifted to Raja Ganapathi Nagar by the district administration.

Of those, 38 belonged to Scheduled Tribe (ST) and the remaining to the MBC community.

Additionally, upon the application to the government, the revenue department, before 2020, also relocated 71 landless families from different settlements to Raja Ganapathi Nagar.

Out of 71 families, 58 are STs, 11 are SCs and two belong to the MBC community (Amirthavalli’s data in 2021). And, the same data showed that only 53 dwellers were issued namuna patta during that time, but none of them were Dalits.

A man from the Dalit community, who moved to the resettlement area in 2015, said, “After facing inundation in 2015, we were shifted here with the promise of a plot. But so far, none of the people here have received namuna patta or updated on receiving one. Many revenue officials, including tahsildar have come and gone, but ours, especially Dalits’ plight has been the same for 8 years.”

Tensions within

In addition to all the existing day-to-day survival struggles in the land, dwellers at Raja Ganapathi Nagar from different communities have also begun witnessing community-related hostilities unfold.

“We have people from different communities living in close quarters, facing deep troubles financially and otherwise. Adding to this, we’ve also begun witnessing dominant caste members putting baseless allegations on folks from oppressed communities,” said an Irula man.

As per sources at the site, it’s noted that recently an elderly woman from a dominant caste accused an Irula child of stealing her mobile phone on her way to school. Due to which, the child has been refusing to venture out of her home.

“The dominant caste members have been placing false allegations on us, not allowing us to play music and go out on our will. We notice a disdain on their faces towards us,” said a mother of the accused child.

It’s also said that the set of dominant caste members who recently moved to the site were not evicted by the revenue department. Instead, they had moved at the location by choice, and have been allegedly placing false allegations on the Irulas at the site, claim dwellers to DT Next.

No basic amenities

Though they moved to the new site with the anticipation of a better life, the dwellers are frustrated with officials’ apathy. Since Raja Ganapathi Nagar is located 15 km away from all previous locations, these dwellers, over the years, have also been ripped-off of their employment as domestic help in Neyveli quarters.

Now, to keep their jobs, these women are forced to walk for several kilometres to board buses to work, shelling-out more money.

“I start my day at 4 am. I prepare two meals, ready my daughters to school, walk them to the main road and then take a bus to work,” said a dweller. “I have to work harder to make ends meet, with or without basic infrastructure at the site.”

Speaking to DT Next, a revenue official said, “From 2021, the revenue department has been issuing pattas to people. Currently, we have issued pattas to over 90 Irulas at the site. We’ve also begun the survey and are working on issuing the remaining pattas at the earliest.”

When asked about the exact number of re-settlers from different communities, the official clarified that they don’t possess such data. And, refuted any tension related to different castes at the site.

The law

In 2020, Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) began constructing houses for re-settlers, which are yet to be completed.

“Instead of addressing the existing concerns at the site, the department is moving in more landless families to the site,” said Amirthavalli.

“The Tamil Nadu government should act promptly regarding the people’s concerns. As communities have lost their livelihood post-resettlement, linkages should be established by the government and special camps should be set up to address issues.”

Additionally, activists opine the eviction and policies for resettlement without consultation and non-access to basic facilities in Panruti have violated the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013, and the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007 and the United Nations Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development-based Evictions and Displacement.

Also, the RFCTLARR Act, recognises the non-title holders as ‘affected families’.

The Section 4, chapter II of the Act mandates for a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) to study the impact of the project on various components such as livelihoods of the affected families followed by which a social impact management plan is directed to be prepared.

Section 5 mandates that a prepared SIA must be shared to the affected com- munities through a public hearing held at the affected area after giving publicity about the date, time and venue for the hearing.

Views of the affected families must be included in SIA. Section 7 points out that the SIA has to be appraised by an expert group from members of various fields.

Further, the national act and the RFCTLARR Act, 2017, of Tamil Nadu mentions formation of social impact assessment agency and execution, re- habilitation and resettlement committee and State monitoring committee.

All these policies have been violated in case of resettling people to Raja Ganapathi Nagar, say activists. “The human rights violations before, during, and after the eviction drives highlight the emerging need for providing legal safeguards to ensure that authorities of various government departments/agencies, will be mandated to explore the in-situ options available, to prevent arbitrary methods to carry out eviction drives, and evolve mechanisms to flag their grievances,” said Vanessa Peter, policy researcher, Information and Resource Centre for Deprived Urban Communities.

She added that evictions carried out without adhering to due processes can be prevented if the policy is drafted upholding human rights approaches.

“Though a draft policy on rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) was released in October 2021, the policy is yet to be finalised,” she pointed out.

Community's concerns

• Children dropping out of school
• No anganwadi centres
• No proper electricity connection
• No overhead tank or proper water supply
• 3 borewells dug out, not used
• No hospitals nearby, PHC far away
• No sewage connection
• No transportation facility
• No safety to dwellers, especially children, girls and women
• No private toilets at any home. Women and girls bathe in the open and use vacant land to relieve themselves
• No fair price shops nearby

From a legal standpoint

Eviction and policies of resettlement without consultation and non-access to basic facilities in Panruti violated the following:

• Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013
• UN Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development-based Evictions and Displacement
• National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007

RFCTLARR Act

• Recognises the non-title holders as ‘affected families’
• Section 4, chapter II of the Act mandates for a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) to study the impact of the project on various components such as livelihoods of the affected families followed by which a social impact management plan is directed to be prepared.
• Section 5 mandates that a prepared SIA must be shared to the affected communities through a public hearing held at the affected area after giving adequate publicity about the date, time and venue for the hearing.
• Views of the affected families to be recorded and included in the SIA.
• Section 7 points out that the SIA to be appraised by an expert group from members of various fields.

National Act and RFCTLARR Act, 2017, of TN

Mentions formation of social impact assessment agency and execution, rehabilitation and resettlement committee and State monitoring committee.