CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has acquired land for the resettlement complex near the Ellaiamman Koil on a 30-year lease from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. This is the first time that the TNSCB has acquired land on lease for resettlement and it has raised concerns among NTO Kuppam residents.
“What will happen, once the lease period is over ? Will the HR&CE department ask us to move out?,” asks Mahendran. While senior officials in the TNSCB have assured that residents will not be asked to vacate once the lease period is over, it is unclear if the Slum Clearance Board will ever procure the land from the HR&CE.
“The government will most likely issue a GO granting the land to the TNSCB,” said a senior official, explaining the financial constraints which have forced the TNSCB to get the land on lease for the resettlement complex in the first place.