After starting the process of clearing encroachments along the Adyar and Cooum rivers, the government will soon start doing so along the Buckingham Canal. However, this time, the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) is planning to resettle them at locations closer to their dwelling place.
After the floods of 2015, the government machinery has been in the process of removing encroachments from major waterbodies in the city to prevent a similar catastrophe. Till date, 11,666 families living along the Adyar and Cooum river have been relocated. Most of them have been resettled in colonies, including Perumbakkam, Kannagi Nagar, Gudakkapakkan and Navalur.
Now the government is in the process of evicting people living along the Canal. It is estimated that there are around 43,728 encroachments along the waterbody. “A detailed study will be conducted to identify the most vulnerable ones. We will be relocating them first,” said a TNSCB official.
“We are looking at plots that are closer to their dwelling place. This way, their livelihood will not be affected,” said an official. For this purpose, the Board is in talks with the Chennai Collector, the Chennai Corporation and other government departments.