CHENNAI: Ten days after the residents of Muthumariamman Koil Street in Arumbakkam were relocated to Navalur, students, especially those studying in classes between 6 and 12, are yet to resume schooling.
With half-yearly examinations set to begin early next month, the children were now standing at the crossroads, evicted as their families were mid-academic year.
“We have decided to put our kids in the government school in Padappai, but it seems to be around 8 km away,” said Netaji S, a daily wage labourer, one of those resettled in Navalur. He added that he continued to take his two sons to their schools in Koyambedu for fear of disrupting their academic progress, especially before examinations. “Their teachers said it was better that they continued here, at least until the examinations,” he said.
However, some others like Santhosh R, a Class 11 student, were still undecided. “Our family has not decided yet if we should seek admission here or continue in our old school,” he said.
While the upcoming exams were the main worry for parents, the problem is more complicated for children. “My parents decided to shift school. But I want to go back to my old school; I like my friends there,” said Hari Prasad, a Class VII student.
In a recent petition to TN State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Vanessa Peter of Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC) had highlighted the trauma of children, which goes often overlooked.
“The process of eviction is traumatic for children as most of them are unable to understand the implications of the sudden appearance of police and bulldozers around their homes. The experience of having one’s home torn down, which is often accompanied with an increased vulnerability of the family, can leave an indelible mark on the psychological health of the child,” the petition stated.
The petition also said that regarding the settlements of Rangoon Street and Om Shakthi Nagar, the GCC officials had informed the residents of the date of eviction only the previous night, leaving them no time to prepare the children mentally about what was happening. Similarly, at EVR Periyar Salai, the families were misinformed about the resettlement site and they got information about the actual resettlement site only when they were loading their belongings in the trucks.
Though the residents have come to terms with the fact that the bus connectivity from their settlements to other parts of the city were poor, what has left them bemused is the lack of mobile connectivity in the settlements. “Ever since we’ve moved here, our family members have tried to contact us but their calls are not going through. We are able to receive signals only one km from here,” said Muthulakshmi R.
The 387 families from Muthumariamman Koil Street were asked to choose between the tenements in Navalur and Thiruvottriyur under the Cooum River Restoration Project. While 156 families chose the Thiruvottriyur tenements, 231 went to be resettled in Navalur.
The journey to Navalur
The 387 families from Muthu-mariamman Koil Street were asked to choose between the tenements in Navalur and Thiruvottriyur under the Cooum River Restoration Project. 231 families chose Navalur.