CHENNAI: A day after a block holding 24 houses of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board housing unit at Grama street in Tiruvottiyur collapsed, several residents of the other blocks spent the night on the road for fear of the other buildings in the tenements being bound for a similar fate.
Seetha G, a resident of the F block that is near the D block that collapsed on Monday, said that they slept outside a small temple within the premises with only a bedsheet under them. They have not mustered the courage to set foot into their homes to pick up their belongings or clothes.
“We have my daughter and her 10-day old baby with us. We slept with the baby outside because we could not take the risk. All the buildings were constructed around the same time. So, if one collapsed, there is a possibility of the others falling too,” she said.
While Slum Clearance Board officials have arranged three community halls nearby to house residents of the damaged buildings, some residents are hesitant to go.
“We have young girls in the family and in a community hall, they will not have the privacy even for a change of clothes. So, we decided to sleep near the road,” said Kamatchi, another resident.
Senior Slum Clearance Board officials told The New Indian Express that the residents needed counselling and the community development officers were coordinating with the residents to put their fears at ease.
As many as 48 families (24 from the collapsed D block and 24 from the partially damaged adjacent E block) may be shifted to KP Park if they are willing, officials said. Twenty-eight families (24 from the D block and four from the partially damaged E block) were compensated with Rs 1 lakh each on Monday.
Some residents were against shifting to KP Park in Pulianthope and sought houses in Kargil Nagar nearby. Officials said that they were discussing all possibilities with the residents.