Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Thursday evicted around 50 of nearly 500 families, who have been illegally occupying public land for decades across several Broadway streets, including Lone Square, Mooker Nallamuthu Street and Vaniyar Street. This triggered protests as the occupants claimed that only a few them got the allotment orders for housing in the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board tenement near Government Stanley Hospital.
Around 10.30am, GCC officials arrived in Broadway with excavators and evicted the families for whom housing order was already provided. They demolished the encroachments with police support. By this time, the people who were not provided allocation orders staged a road roko. Following the protests, civic authorities assured them that alternative accommodation will be provided within the city; however, residents insisted on being shifted to the same tenements near Stanley Hospital, as their livelihoods depend on the locality.The families said that they have been living on the roadside for nearly 80 years across four generations, and lamented that every year, authorities only collected application forms and photographs for housing allocation without any further progress. According to them, only 100 families got allocation orders.“Recently, corporation authorities took photographs and collected details; however, housing allotments were given to only a few. When we enquire about the rest of us, there is no proper response. We were finally relieved that govt was allotting houses for us, but we are disappointed again,” said B Parimala Devi, a resident of Vaniyar Street.Locals said that despite possessing documents such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards and voter IDs, they were left in the dark about the criteria used to allot houses to only a few people. G Vinayagam, a resident of Mooker Nallamuthu Street, said, “We are not willing to move to houses in the suburbs as we depend on jobs in this locality. If we move elsewhere, it will be difficult for us to find work and sustain ourselves.”Another resident, E Reegan, said, “Authorities, including minister P K Sekarbabu, are aware of the issue. We have submitted multiple petitions to them seeking house allotments. However, allotments were given only to residents whose houses obstruct vehicular movement, while interior houses have been neglected.”Officials said it is not possible to provide allotments to all of them. “Allotment orders were issued to around 30-40 residents in each street and shifting is underway. The encroachment eviction drive is expected to be completed within the next two-three days,” said C Vijayababu, zonal officer, Royapuram.
