CHENNAI: There is a growing recognition of women facing violence and abuse outside their homes. However, the spotlight doesn’t enter the ghettoised resettlement sites in the city where the threat to one’s dignity and life is a constant fear.
Numerous factors related to urban planning and governance, such as housing location and type, infrastructure and police protection, have both, directly and indirectly, contributed to the growing insecurity among women and children (that comprise about 55 per cent of the population) in the resettlement sites.
Till date, 6,310 families from 28 settlements have been resettled to the settlements of Perumbakkam and Navalur in Kanchipuram District, AIR Site in Chennai District and Gudapakkam located in Thiruvallur District as a part of Integrated Cooum River Eco-Restoration Project of the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT).
“Women complain that the slums were relatively safer. With shuffled families and locations, safety has become a major issue in the resettlement sites. Also, though the state officials felt the need for a resettlement policy in 2010, we still do not have one,” said Vanessa Peter, policy researcher, Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC).
Perumbakkam
Of the 6,310 families, 4,699 families were relocated to Perumbakkam by CRRT. Most women here expressed a fear of sexual harassment and theft.
“The settlement is predominantly dark due to inadequate street lights. It is near impossible for women and children to step out after dusk as molestation incidents have become so common that they happen daily,” said a women from the resettlement site on the condition of anonymity.
Police security is another major issues cited by women here. In May 2018, a mother of a 14-year-old son lamented that her son was missing from May 10. Despite the complaint, the Pallikaranai police registered an FIR only on May 27 and, till date, the child has not been traced.
Distant resettlement site combined with the low frequency of buses and proximity to bus stops has added to their woes. To catch a bus, one has to walk half a kilometre and currently, there are only four buses in operation: 102B (Broadway), 119G (Guindy), 119B (T.Nagar) and 119S (Saidapet). This adds up to the waiting time and the return journey to the area, where homes are barely visible in the dark. There is often a sense of fear during these commutes.
The lift in the buildings is only operated till 11 pm. People who arrive after that must take the half broken staircase sans lights.
Navalur
Totally 2,048 families have been relocated to the area of which 753 families were relocated under the CRRT scheme.
Theft and mugging are primary issues cited by people living in the resettlement that is located far from the traditional rehabilitation.
A 15-year-old girl struggling her way through the poorly lit resettlement said, “Both on the main road and the streets and corridors, there are no compound walls or lights. We often get groped due to this and poor illumination also contributed to numerous anti-social activities.” Telecom connectivity is also poor here.
Gudapakkam
Located 500 metres away from the Tiruvallur Highroad, there are 1,024 tenements in the area. Of 1,024, 196 families hail from Aminjikarai, 347 from MSP Nagar and Maduravoyal and 130 families from Om Sakthi Nagar. Among this, 709 families are under the CRRT scheme.
Like all the other resettlement sites, the approach road connecting the scheme area with the main road is not equipped with streetlights. There is no bus facility to reach schools located outside the area, making it difficult for students, mainly girls to return after dusk.
Residents say that illegal ganja pedalling here has increased manifold in the recent times and that it has taken a major toll on safety.
All India Radio (AIR) Nagar
Totally, there are 5,856 tenements in the area, of which 149 are relocated under CRRT scheme. Families residing here said that there are no lights on streets, staircases and corridors in the buildings they have been resettled to. Due to this, an old man died when he slipped on the stairs in the dark.
In 2016, a proposal was made to build a police substation in the area as the residents undergoing abuse had nowhere to go. But, the project was stalled and the proposal was put to cold storage. Residents demand a police station.
However, when contacted, the officials concerned still say they are working towards improving the amenities in the settlements.