The Slum Clearance Board’s assurance to open the doors of the newly-built school in next three weeks will come as a relief for over 350 children from families affected by the Ennore-Manali Road Improvement Project in the All India Radio site in Ennore.
As civil rights groups mounted pressure on the government seeking access to the newly-constructed building, Slum Clearance Board officials told City Express that the building was expected to be opened in next three weeks.
“The building was ready by February, but we are awaiting clearance before it will be opened for the children,” a Slum Clearance Board official said.
Civil society activists say that the school, which was built for the children of more than 2,500 families who were relocated due to the Ennore-Manali Road Improvement Project and Tsunami rehabilitation project in the All India Radio site in Ennore, was lying idle despite several petitions to open it.
Currently, the children in the area are being provided education in a temporary structure which lacks basic facilities, says Virgil D’Sami, Executive Director, Arunodhaya Centre for Street and Working Children.
This has resulted in many parents refusing to send their girl children to school, fearing the lack of safety.
“There are no provisions for bathrooms or other facilities for girls and as a result, parents are refusing to send their girls to school,” rues Sami.
The school was built in the second half of 2011 and has is well-equipped. “More than 200 petitions have been sent to various State Government departments seeking to open the building for the students at the earliest,” says Chamundeeswari, coordinator for the National Coastal Women Movement - Tamil Nadu Chapter.
Sami also pointed out the plight of fishermen, who, after being shifted to the AIR site, have been robbed of their traditional livelihood. The displacement has also resulted in women traveling long distances to sell fish, informs Chamundeeswari.