CHENNAI: About 150 families at Radhakrishnan Nagar in Arumbakkam await resettlement even two months after around 93 of their neighbouring families were shifted in the eye of a media storm. While the latter were moved to KP Park tenements at Pulianthope as part of the first batch on July 29, the remaining families, most of whom are willing to be resettled, said they have received no intimation of when the evictions would resume.
“We have been given tokens for houses at KP Park. If they move us quickly, we can make arrangements for our children’s education since schools are due to be reopened soon. The monsoon is also in the offing and many of our houses leak,” said Vasudevan, a resident of RK Nagar.
Last month, a board was jointly put up by the city corporation, the Public Works Department and the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, informing the 150 families that tokens will be issued on August 11. The officials had also informed residents that their eviction would resume in two or three days. But there has been a delay.
M Lakshmi, a 66-year-old resident of RK Nagar, has been living amid what is left behind of her neighbours’ houses and belongings. The trail to her house is filled with waste such as pieces of worn-out furniture and cardboard, after her neighbours moved. “Although officials have not yet demolished our house or any of the other houses here, everyone else has gone and I’m living here alone without power or water supply,” she said. Although she has received token for new house, she has to wait until the evictions resume.
“My son and his two children sleep beneath the bridge nearby. I sleep here in the dark because our belongings are inside and I don’t want anyone to steal them,” said Lakshmi. Her possessions include a television set, some utensils, and clothes.
Officials that TNIE spoke to said they were awaiting orders to resume evictions. “There is no doubt that the resettlement will resume. An independent vetting process has to be carried out by departments, including the corporation,” said an official who did not want to be named.