25 Irular families live off ECR on a theru with no loos, water

Without toilets, the women are forced to walk 1 km to find a secluded spot because a residential locality surrounds their hamlet.
A member of the tribal community cooks food outside his shack at the hamlet (inset)  near Mahabalipuram | debadatta mallick
A member of the tribal community cooks food outside his shack at the hamlet (inset) near Mahabalipuram | debadatta mallick

CHENNAI: Barely 10 km from Mahabalipuram, 25 Irular families live without basic amenities like water, toilets, proper houses, and electricity. The tribals are living on a ‘theru’ (road) barely 500m from the ECR for over 30 years. Their makeshift homes could crumble anytime.

“We are forced to defecate in the open and it is very embarrassing. No official has visited our hamlet to tell us about government schemes,” said Selvi M, a tribal woman.
 
Without toilets, the women are forced to walk 1 km to find a secluded spot because a residential locality surrounds their hamlet. “Even to fetch drinking water we have to walk this much.”

Parvathy M, another resident, said due to lack of electricity, it is unsafe during nights. “Since we live very close to the ECR, it is an unsafe spot as there’s no police station nearby.” They do not have road connectivity either.

‘Will skip polls if our demands are not met’

The tribal women said they may not vote in the upcoming local body polls if their demands are not met. “We face hardship every day and our pleas for basic amenities go unheard. We have decided not to vote if authorities don’t assure us of solving our issues,” said Valli T, another local. When contacted, a revenue official in Chengalpattu district told TNIE, “We can look into it only after the polls. A feasibility report will be prepared and all demands will be met.”

The official, however, felt the tribals must accept relocation as a viable option. He said when the government comes forward to give them homes, they protest and demand houses on poramboke land. “Sometimes, it is not feasible as some of these terrains are not suitable for construction, in which case they may have to accept the offer,” the official added.

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