In
a major policy shift that could help safeguard the livelihood of the
slum dwellers to some extent, the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board
(TNSCB) has decided to construct tenements in Moolakothalam near Seven
Wells.

The Board has also identified around 40 localities in and
around the city for resettlement and relocation of slum dwellers and
homeless families.

Unlike the previous resettlement colonies,
which were over 50 km away from the city centre, some of the new
localities could be much closer and within one hour of travel time.

The
move comes in the aftermath of the government’s decision to stop
building tenements en masse in the outskirts of the city so as to avoid
ghettoisation.

All these tenements will be constructed as part of
Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) as part of the Housing for All
(Urban) Scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Under this
scheme, financial assistance will be provided for houses for
economically weaker sections that are being built in partnerships by
States /UTs/cities. “We have received approval for three locations so
far from the Centre. Construction work will soon begin. While we have
identified several other areas, they are under the jurisdiction of
various departments with whom talks are underway,” said a senior
official from TNSCB. Apart from Moolakothalam, slum dwellers are
expected to be relocated to Manali New Town and Thailavaram in
Maraimalai Nagar.

Enumeration process

In the phase
one of the project, the Board will construct 648 tenements on 11.5 acres
in Moolakothalam. In the next phase, 400 tenements are expected to be
built. “The enumeration for the tenements is currently in process.
Families in and around the area will soon be provided houses,” the
official said.

Around 1.48 lakh families across the city have been
identified and enumerated under AHP. The Board had received approval to
build over 5,000 multi-storeyed tenements.

The Board’s decision
to refrain from en masse construction of tenements in the outskirts may
help ensure mixed development of relocated and host communities.

However,
those who have already been relocated to tenements further away claim
their lives have been adversely affected after the move.

“If you
look at these building walls, it seems like they might come crumbling
down any time,” said Vasanthi, fitting her hand in a large hole in the
entrance wall at her house in Gudapakkam.

“Our lives completely
changed after coming here. My husband is unemployed, I have to be very
careful about my teenage son, who I fear is getting into bad company. I
do not allow my daughter to step out alone. But this is the case with
most families here. There is nothing for us or our children here. The
State has successfully isolated us,” Ms. Vasanthi said.

Land titles

A
recently released report titled ‘From deluge to displacement: The
impact of post-flood eviction and resettlement in Chennai’ by the
Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities
(IRCDUC) and Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), pointed out that
85% of informal settlements did not have legal land titles and the
residents are living below the poverty line.

The report also noted
that the lack of security of land tenure has resulted in the state
branding most slum dwellers as “illegal occupants” and “squatters”.

It
further stated that the deliberate denial of provision of security of
tenure has been the root cause of forced evictions, wherein the people
are coerced by the State government to move to ghettos under the guise
of ‘post-disaster rehabilitation’ and ‘affordable housing.’

“It is
important to ensure that the new sites have all the means of social and
economic development and basic amenities. Else, these areas too would
become ghettos,” said Anbuselvam, a Dalit scholar.