1. A community, interrupted
Forced slum evictions along the Cooum river bank, Otteri Nalla and the coastal areas of
the city are reportedly being carried out to pave way for cleaning of the Cooum river and
the construction of Elevated Expressways along the Cooum and the coast. . .
Harini Sriram Purasawalkam
An air of disillusionment hangs over Manjakolai Street, near Kilpauk. The residents –
most of them have been living here for over 50 years - are being forced to evict their
homes, thanks to the Government of Tamil Nadu’s decision to construct an elevated
expressway along the Cooum river. The cleaning of the river is also cited as a reason for
the eviction.
Geetha Ramakrishnan, Unorganised Workers’ Federation, has been mobilising the
residents of these areas and fighting for their rights. “These slums (along the riverbanks
and coastal zones in the city) are declared slum areas as per the Tamil Nadu Slum Areas
Act, 1971. And this means that they have to be provided with pucca houses with all basic
facilities, in the same place or in the vicinity. But instead, the residents are being denied a
patta and worse still, are being forced to move out,” she says. The Government, at
present, is providing alternative accommodation at Kannagi Nagar and Semmanchery and
in the 20,000 ten-storied tenements being constructed at Perumbakkam at a cost of Rs815
crore.
“This is a violation of the Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) guidelines under the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The clause clearly states
that basic amenities (improved housing, water supply, sanitation, education, health and
social security) at affordable prices should be provided to the urban poor and most
importantly, housing should be provided near the place of occupation,” she adds. The
proposed housing at Perumbakkam is a good 40km away from the slums near the Cooum.
On April 21, Wednesday, the Unorganised Workers’ Federation, National Alliance of
People’s Movements and Ambedkar People’s Movement along with a few other
organisations staged a demonstration to protest forced evictions. A petition with
signatures from slum dwellers was submitted to the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief
Minister.
The residents are a distressed lot. One such resident, who has been living here for over 40
years, says, “About six months ago, a group of policemen came here and we were asked
to sign a document. We were not allowed to read it. This month, a group of people
threatened us with dire consequences if we did not vacate.” About 6,000 families
currently reside in Manjakolai Street and the neighbourhood and over 1,300 families have
their own houses here. Another resident, who visited the accommodation at
Semmanchery, says, “We cannot live that far. What will we do for a living? Most of us
here are daily wagers and some of us own shops in this area. Our children’s education is
at stake too. The houses proposed by the Government are only about 100 q ft to 200 sq ft
in size and there are no basic amenities. We live in constant fear but we do not want to
move from here.”
The Maduravayal-Port Elevated Expressway, which was originally meant to be 9km long
has now been converted to a 19km-long stretch. Geetha argues, “There was no public

2. consultation with regard to the project and moreover it is a clear violation of the Coastal
Regulation Zone notification. Besides, it is also very obvious that the length of the
express way has been extended, with a lot of curves and hairpin bends, to save the
buildings of the rich. The voiceless slum-dwellers are being targetted. There is currently a
CBI enquiry into the project because of its non-inclusive nature, among others,” So far,
about 15,000 families have been evicted and thousands of them have been rendered
homeless.
The other side of the problem is the cleaning of the river. As Geetha points out, “It is a
well-known fact that the river is being polluted by Metro Water, which has been dumping
sewage from across the city into the Cooum. Why should slums be cleared to clean the
river? The cleaning has to be done at the pumping station level itself. If the sewage is
treated before being let out, it will solve the problem.”
The residents of Manjakolai Street are just some of the thousands and lakhs of people
who are facing the brunt of “development”. Their voices are unheard and their needs,
ignored. They are however sure of one thing: they will not shift. As one of them puts it,
“We will drown in the Cooum, if need be.”
harini.sriram@timesgroup.com