Awaiting a home after demolition

CHENNAI: Regimes come and go, but the plight of the marginalised remains the same. It seems to suit the residents of the high profile Chepauk-Triplicane constituency, which is now represented by the Sports Minister and the ruling party’s youth wing leader, Udayanidhi Stalin.

Most of the 300-odd families residing in TNUHDB were elated when the DMK leader was elected as the local MLA. They had hoped to get better homes, but their disappointment is palpable, as the situation has not changed since the days of former Chief Ministers Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa.

The TNUHDB has been renovating the old tenement blocks around Chennai. The old tenement blocks in Koyyathoppu were demolished 3 months back, and it’d be an understatement to state that renovation works have been slow, claim residents.

“Already our income is meagre and after TNUHDB homes were demolished, we are forced to spend more on rent making two square meals a difficult process. We’re paying Rs 8-10,000 as rent. That’s around 75% of our earnings,” said Subramaniam*, a resident from the tenement. “Some of the residents are looking for cheap rental houses in the outskirts.”

Residents lament over the lack of transparency from the government department and the uncertainty over allotment. “There is hardly any progress on the site. It has been three months since the demolition. We are not even sure if every family would get a place,” he averred.

Previously, there were 302 tenements in the housing blocks. As families grew in size with newer members being added into family through marriage and child birth, the issue became completed when newer members began demanding new allotments.

In several cases, original allottees are dead. And, their family members don’t have any documents to prove their legal heirship.

“We also belong to the tenement but when our family grew, we settled outside the tenement. We also want a tenement in the new housing block,” demanded Kannan*.

While speaking to DT Next, a senior TNUHDB official said, “We agree that the residents have been facing a lot of challenges but we’re also doing our best to build the housing blocks as soon as possible. The estimation process is completed; we’re planning to build 330 tenements with around 400 square feet for each space. The construction will be completed in a year.”

Destitute widow living in motor room of public toilet for 17 years

A 60-year-old widow N Venkattamma lives in a motor room of a corporation public toilet near the Koyyathoppu housing block. After her family deserted her, she moved into motor room 17 years ago and has been living there ever since. Her meagre earnings are from maintaining the toilet. “I don’t have anyone to take care of me.

Now, the contractor who leased this toilet is not giving me any salary. I don’t know where to go and express my grievances,” she lamented. “Now, the motor in the public toilet stopped working a week ago. So, nobody is using this toilet. I haven’t made any money at all.” When asked, a corporation official said: “We’ll looking into the problem. In a couple of days, her problems will be sorted out.”