Hand Thideer Nagar to TNUHDB, ensure better housing for residents: Arappor Iyakkam urges DMK govt
Stating that the locality only has 8 toilets for 1,000 families, the activist said that the state government has not taken the problems of Thideer Nagar residents seriously.
Arappor Iyakkam convenor Jayaram Venkatesan
CHENNAI: Arappor Iyakkam, an anti-graft organization, has urged the state government to hand over Thideer Nagar land to the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) from the Greater Chennai Corporation, in order to provide better housing to the residents.
In a petition to Chief Minister MK Stalin and other senior officials, Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of the organization, said that all the houses in Thideer Nagar in Purasaiwakkam are very small in size and built too close to each other without any ventilation.
"Even in case of an emergency, there is no space for quick movement. There is no proper storm water drainage outlet also for the residents because of which, during rains, the entire housing area gets inundated and flooded with water. People are forced to take shelter elsewhere till the waters dry up, adding to their misery," he pointed out.
Stating that the locality only has 8 toilets for 1,000 families, the activist said that the state government has not taken the problems of Thideer Nagar residents seriously.
"While the government is parallelly planning and allocating budgets for urbanizing and developing Chennai as a smart city, Singara Chennai and others, it is painful to see that basic amenities are not ensured to the residents of Thideer Nagar for about 5 decades now.
"We understand from the people of the habitat that for the past few decades, there have been requests from them to various governments formed in Tamil Nadu to provide them with houses for their permanent settlement in the same place. There have only been promises by several parties in power that were never kept," Jayaram Venkatesan expressed.
The Greater Chennai Corporation in a RTI reply had disclosed that approval to hand over the land to the TNUHDB was sought from the government but it has not yet passed orders for the transfer of land.
The activist urged the government to pass orders and hand over the Thideer Nagar land from Chennai Corporation to TNUHDB as requested.
"Ensure immediate budget allocation and construction of proper high quality, spacious multi-storied construction for all the residents living in Thideer Nagar in the same place as per their wish of the residents," he demanded.
