CHENNAI: Displacements are always followed by a series of changes, which are mostly unfavourable to the displaced community. When people were shifted from Aminjikarai to Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSTC) in Navalur, loss of livelihood was their primary problem at hand. But as the pandemic began and educational classes went online, students from the region started facing connectivity issues with their mobile networks.
Situated in Serapanancheri panchayat, about 56 km from Aminjikarai, lack of mobile phone connectivity has left the children jostling for space near windows and running down the stairs to the road, in an attempt to connect for online classes and watch tutorial videos. The government school in Padappadi, which is the closest to their tenements, started online classes for its students recently. Teachers send videos and links for the students to watch and learn.
They are tested by the end of week to assess their understanding of the subjects. “My mother has a sewing machine near one window in the bedroom, that is the only place inside uot house where we get mobile signal. My sister and I take turns whenever we need to use the internet and use the machine as a study table. Even there, we get only one or two ‘points’ and never four in the signal,” said Revathi S, a class 11 student. Most of the houses do not have wi-fi connections and are dependent on their mobile data to connect to the internet. For attending uninterrupted classes on video conference, the best option for the children is to go outside their homes, said many residents. Navalur has 2,048 houses in total.
“To send answers for the tests through WhatsApp, we put a stool near the window and sit there for hours. Inside the bedroom or hall, we can’t even receive calls. We’ve also tried changing networks (service providers) since coming here but to no difference,” said Srinithi, a class 10 student. While the residents are still learning to face the challenges that the resettlement has imposed upon them, this one was truly unexpected, said the parents. “When we were in Aminjikarai, I did not even know a place like this existed. The only Navalur I knew was on the OMR. After coming here, I feel like we have been completely cut off from the rest of the world,” said Malar P, a resident.