CHENNAI: After the closure of the e-seva centre a month and a half ago, residents of Semmencheri are forced to travel five km, to Sholinganallur, to avail of government schemes. Kousalya had to take a day off from work and her son had to take leave from school to travel to Sholinganallur to make changes in his Aadhaar card. The closure of the sole e-seva centre in Semmencheri is forcing many like Kousalya to travel to Sholinganallur.
Perumbakkam and Semmencheri tenements together house around 28,000 families, who were relocated from various parts of the city. A government e-seva centre was opened in 2021 in the office space of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) near Semmencheri Arch. The centre was catering to the needs of Perumbakkam and Semmencheri residents.
The residents allege that the centre was closed without any notice. Mercy, a resident of Semmencheri told TNIE, “Earlier people had to travel up to Sholinganallur to avail of the services. After repeated requests, a centre with a single counter was opened in Semmencheri in 2021. But now with the closure of this centre, everyone is forced to travel to Sholinganallur.”
When TNIE visited the spot, the centre was closed. Residents said even the helpline number was not reachable. Kousalya, an inhabitant of Kotturpuram was relocated to Perumbakkam in 2007. “Even for minor services we have to go to Sholinganallur centre, where appointments are token based. Every day only 25 - 30 tokens are provided.
To get the token we have to be present at Sholinganallur centre by 7 am. This particular centre caters to residents of Sholinganallur, Semmencheri and Perumbakkam. They are very hostile towards residents from these two tenements. We need a fully operational e-seva centre with all services again in our area.”
Residents of these tenements are from low-income groups like daily wage earners, so taking a day off means a cut in their income, according to social activist Vanessa Peter. She further added, “Within the city, many centres are idle most of the time. For densely populated areas like Semmencheri and Perumbakkam, a centre that provides access to all social security schemes need to be opened.”
A Sholinganallur corporation official told TNIE, “We only provide land. The administration of e-seva centres does not come under us. I’m not aware of this problem. We will check and take this up with the concerned department.” Officials from the Tamil Nadu e-governance agency were not available for comment.