Chennai: Officials of Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board assured nearly 700 families in Thideer Nagar, currently living in dilapidated buildings with temporary roofs and cracking walls, that their houses would soon be reconstructed.
“Each house would be built in a space of 400 square feet with a washroom facility and it would be on an elevated platform in the same area. A total of 1,000 houses would be built, of which 700 are for the residents of Thideer Nagar, others would be occupied by hutment dwellers nearby”, said an official.
The officials had surveyed the area on Friday and gave a report to the local MLA, M.A. Subramanian, who had approached the slum clearance board for a revamp after the floods. The MLA told DC that funds would be released soon for the purpose.
Thideer Nagar is located along the Adyar river in Saidapet and was one of the worst hit localities during the 2015 floods. About 300 families have been relocated to Thoraipakkam and Ezhil Nagar after the disaster, of who some have returned to Thideer Nagar stating issues like increased proximity to the workplace and school.
“During the floods, we were staying in a corporation school as the area was inundated. By the time we returned, the houses were in shambles and there was no trace of our belongings. After the deluge, the houses were never repaired and we have been living in a pathetic condition since then”, said, S. Anbhazhagan, a resident.
Another resident, G. Rajeshwari, added that there are only two toilets for the entire locality and not even one tenement has a washroom of its own. This has put women and children to hardship, eventually leading to open defecation.
She further added that poor drainage facility has added to their woes as the residents have to wake up to stench and slush daily.
