CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) is building a commercial complex within the NTO Kuppam Resettlement near Ernavur to fund rent payable to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. TNSCB has to pay Rs 5.75 lakh rent per month to the HR&CE Department according to the 30-year lease. This is the first-of-its-kind arrangement for TNSCB.
TNSCB officials said that the space in four-storey complex would be rented out to parties that could sub-let to various shops. “NTO Kuppam resettlement arrangement is a financial burden for the Slum Clearance Board. We had to incorporate the commercial complex keeping in mind the financial strain the 30-year lease will have on the board,” said a senior official.
“Each of the 446 apartments costs Rs 12 lakh. The State and Centre cover only Rs 7.5 lakh and the TNSCB has to pay the remaining Rs 4.5 lakh,” he said. However, this is not the case in other resettlements handled by the TNSCB, such as the one managed for the Cooum River Restoration Trust. “The balance amount is borne by the landowner,” a TNSCB official said, explaining that in this case the landowner is the National Highways Authority of India that had evicted the fishing hamlet for their long-pending Ennore-Manali Road Improvement Project. While no agreement was made between the two government bodies regarding contribution towards resettlement of NTO Kuppam residents, TNSCB officials said that the community development arm of NHAI had made no voluntary efforts.
“We don’t have the funds to bear the dual burden of rent and resettlement cost,” said a senior TNSCB official. Concerns also loom over the feasibility of the complex that is being built. Fishermen from the village have raised concerns over shops being set up there. “This came as a surprise to us. One acre of land is being used for the commercial complex. This could affect other amenities from coming up,” said P R Mahendran, a local leader.