Evited, shuffled to far far away

CHENNAI: Evictions of encroachments near the waterbody in the city have been increasing recently. After the government relocated the families near Perumbakkam, people in Semmencheri were not willing to move because their livelihoods would be impacted if they were to be resettled in areas away from the city. And it’s a legitimate fear considering the department has failed to provide rehabilitation for many residents around the river bund.

Belongings in the river

When migrant workers on Spur Tank Road, Chetpet, did not vacate, their belongings were thrown into the waterbody. Now, they have no basic facilities, food and shelter.

“If government officials had allocated an alternative space first and then evicted us, we’d have moved without causing trouble. It has been more than two weeks since they evicted us. They did the biometric process but houses have not been allocated in the city,” lamented S Pawanraja, who has been selling bamboo wares for over 30 years and moved to Chennai when she was 10.

Migrant workers residing here do not have utensils to cook; so they either wait for someone to distribute food or buy from the shop. Even kids make artefacts from bamboo and sell them to help their parents.

No alternate space

Evictions have been carried as part of the restoration work by the Water Resources Department (WRD). Since evicted residents have not been given an alternative space and now, their livelihoods are in peril.

“If we sell at least 10 bouquet baskets, we’d get Rs 1,000. After saving money for all these years, we built a house for ourselves. We spent Rs 5,000 for a coating roof. Now, we’re staying under the sun, and it is difficult to survive with the children and women due to lack of safety,” lamented Mani, a migrant worker residing on Spur Tank Road.

Activists fume at the government department’s lack of planning in providing the evicted residents an alternate space for housing.

“This is a human right violation because women and children were left behind without any basic amenities. It’s hard for a daily wager to share a huge sum of cost for accessing the housing programme. The government can bear the full or partial amount of the beneficiaries’ contribution from the Tamil Nadu Shelter Fund,” opines Joel Shelton, policy researcher, Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC).

Resisting biometric

The government department is carrying out evictions in Lock Nagar, Chepauk, as well as a part of the Buckingham Canal Restoration Project. They have commenced the biometric process in several areas along the waterbody.

The WRD and Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) carried out the biometric process for 55 families in Lock Nagar.

But it has been stopped temporarily, as residents resisted it. They did not know the neighbourhood they’d be resettled in, and urged the government to relocate them within 5 km of the current neighbourhood. Usually, evicted residents are resettled in Perumbakkam, Semmencheri and Kannagi Nagar. Since most women in Lock Nagar are daily wagers, they do not want to leave the area.

“Women in the locality have been working in nearby areas for decades. When we relocate to another place, the commute to these places takes hours. We cannot find new jobs because employers won’t trust new people and give work. And even our children’s education would be affected because we’d have to change schools and colleges,” rued S Mahalakshmi, a daily wager and a resident of Lock Nagar.

Govt’s R&R policy

Residents claim that for over 30 years the government has been taking the name-list of families near the canal, along with promises of houses. During the election, the DMK party promised to relocate 55 families to the nearby area. But, no steps have been taken so far.

“We’re willing to vacate the area, but it’d be convenient if they’re near Egmore or Pattinapakkam. Without this assurance, we cannot agree to the biometric process, as the concerned department will relocate somewhere far away,” pointed out S Mani, another resident.

In May 2022, after evictions in Govindhaswamy Nagar, the Chief Minister MK Stalin had promised in the State Assembly to release a Resettlement & Rehabilitation (R&R) Policy. Fast forward to this month, the promise remains on paper only.

If the R&R policy is released, the due process will be followed, which would safeguard the rights of the deprived communities.

“We have filed a RTI to avail the Detail Project Report (DPR) of the pilot project of Buckingham Canal. The official has redirected the petition to various officials and we’re yet to receive a response. We request the government to make the process more transparent and also discuss the due process before initiating more evictions,” opined activist Shelton.

Official comments

When contacted, a senior WRD official stated that based on the availability in the city, the concerned department allocates houses for evicted residents.

“We’d definitely consider suggestions from residents near the waterbody where they’re willing to shift. The biometric process is being carried out to know the exact number of encroachers near the rivers. The last biometric was taken in 2011, where 20,000 residents were residing near the river bund. In the last decade, the numbers would have increased,” said the official.