With elections just a month away, deprived urban communities who were recently evicted from the city and resettled in tenements far away have come out with a list of demands.
Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), a voluntary organisation, has prepared a charter of demands after consulting with residents of various resettlement colonies like Perumbakkam, Gudapakkam, Athipattu, Navallur and Kannagi Nagar, among others.
Since the 1970s, the deprived communities have been a part of vote bank politics. “Politicians become aware of their existence during elections. Most often they are provided voter ID cards than ration cards,” said Prof. Ramu Manivannan, head, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras. “Hence, residents bargain to get their demands like power and water supply fulfilled during election time,” he added.
Their main demands include amendment to the Tamil Nadu Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, 1971, to ensure protection of land, housing and livelihood rights.
Residents want protection from forced eviction. “If eviction is inevitable, due process should be followed and we should be resettled within three kilometers from our previous residence to protect our livelihood. Besides, we should not be evicted in the middle of the academic year, as children suffer a lot,” said a woman resident of Perumbakkam. Another demand is that the government should reserve 25% of land in urban local bodies for the deprived communities.
Land reservation policy
“The Tamil Nadu State Land Use Board should announce land reservation policy for the deprived urban communities,” said Vanessa Peter, policy researcher, IRCDUC.
“Settlements referred as unobjectionable slums by the government should be issued patta. Expert committees should be constituted to monitor the quality of houses constructed,” added Ms. Vanessa. TNSCB housing projects should also have balwadis, schools, ration shops, playgrounds and parks, she said.