CHENNAI: Confined within the perimeter of tin sheets the 45 homeless families living along the stretch of Gandhi-Irwin road in Egmore are now worried about their safety. After 10 people here tested positive on Tuesday, tin sheets were raised by Corporation staff to prevent them from violating quarantine. But many have raised concern about its efficacy.
“There is no fresh air, and we are forced to sit outside the raised boundary. The fear of Corporation staff taking people away has engulfed us. Some even shifted because of this,” said residents. “After they were shifted to care centres, some are scared that they might be taken away as well,” said Kumar (name changed), a resident.
Asked if their names were recorded by Corporation staff to keep track of people under quarantine, the residents said no such count was taken. “A protocol on what should be done when a homeless tests positive, should be in place,” said Vanessa Peter, Policy Researcher Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities.
Tin sheets taken down
“The homeless who test positive are immediately shifted to care centres,” Corporation officials told Express. After media outlets intimated officials about the situation, civic body staff took down the tin sheets on Saturday night and shifted about eight people to a nearby school. Residents said, others were reluctant to move immediately because they had to collect belongings and were unclear about where they were taken to.