People living on Noyyal banks refuse to relocate

Tirupur: Relocation of 136 families on the banks of Noyyal river in Alankadu has become a headache for the city corporation, with the former refusing to move to the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board’s housing unit at Palavanjipalayam near Veerapandi until they are exempted from making payments for the houses.
The families had been living on Nataraja theatre road, located 100 meters away from the Noyyal, in thatched huts for years together. Since it was revenue land, no basic amenities, including electricity, were given to those households.
Recently, the city corporation had issued eviction notices to the residents and asked them to relocate to the newly-constructed houses at Palavanjipalayam.
“We were asked to vacate the place within 40 days and pay Rs1.08 lakh each for the new houses. We were asked to make the first instalment of Rs30000 immediately. But none of us are in position to afford such a big amount as we are daily wagers,” said R Rangasamy, a local resident.
Pointing out that the residents were asked to pay more than what they could afford, CPI district executive committee member R Vadivel said it was intended at denying them new housing units. “We request the district administration to intervene in the issue and exempt them from making the payment.”
The residents also petitioned the district administration on Tuesday. Tirupur MP K Subbarayan has also written to collector K S Palanisamy, requesting him to consider their ‘rightful’ request.