CHENNAI: Kanaga B, 48, is homeless and burdened with debt, as she has lost not only her house, but also Rs 50,000 in cash that she had borrowed at a steep 15% interest. She is one among the many families whose lives and livelihoods have been affected by the fire that swept through Sathiya Murthy Nagar Main Road in MKB Nagar on Monday evening.
Kanaga, who lives alone in a makeshift house and earns a living by selling appalam, pickles, and semiya (vermicelli) on city streets, had returned from work at a wedding hall to find her home engulfed in flames. The fire, reportedly triggered by an electrical short circuit in one of the huts, rapidly spread through the densely packed settlement, gutting at least 20 huts.
“All I had is gone - clothes, appliances, vessels, and the money I borrowed just a few days ago. I don’t know how to repay the debt now,” said Kanaga, speaking from a government school in Udhayasuriyan Nagar where she has taken temporary shelter along with other victims.
Every day, Kanaga would walk to the wholesale markets in Parrys Corner near Broadway, purchase a jute bag of appalam, or semiya, and sell them on foot in the streets. A single bag of ragi semiya costs her around Rs 1,600, for which she needed loans. “The money burnt along with the appalam I had bought for selling,” she told TNIE.
The hutment stood on a private piece of land that was occupied 18 years ago. While officials said that the land had been encroached by families, residents had requested Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board houses.
Sandhana Mary A, 48, a tailor by profession, had saved money from stitching blouses. “My daughter just completed her Class 12. She wants to study at Dr BR Ambedkar Government Arts College. I had saved the money for her admission,” said Mary.
“My husband earns Rs 300-Rs 500 per day as a daily wage worker. My tailoring brought in more income, and that’s how we managed our children’s education.” All of it was lost in minutes - the cash savings, her two sewing machines, and her children’s government documents, including her daughter’s Transfer Certificate (TC).
While the government has provided essentials such as rice, bedsheets, pillows, and napkins, residents said that they did not even know where to store them without a roof above their heads.Social activist L M Jai Ganesh said, “The government must not only provide housing but also help residents recover lost documents and restore their livelihoods.”
MLA RD Shekar provided Rs 5,000 assistance to each of the family.