Community hall demolished, Besant Nagar residents irked

CHENNAI: As the oldest community hall in Besant Nagar was recently demolished many residents rue that were not consulted and urge for the structure to be rebuilt.“So many people from Kuppam used to organise functions at the community hall. Apart from that, we used to have exhibitions and other cultural events. The annual Durga puja event also used to take place here. At a time when we were pushing for its renovation, the hall was demolished,” said K Priyadarshini, a resident.

Located on Second Avenue, the hall could accommodate at least 700-800 people and according to locals, at least three events used to happen in a week. There is a dining area, stage and other facilities.The government now plans to build a commercial complex which will also house the Tamil Nadu Housing Board office. The residents say they were never consulted about it. “A community hall must remain a community hall and that space must not be used for any other purpose. It is part of the Madras Urban Development Plan. Neither was there an information board in the complex nor a message sent to the public about the demolition,” said TD Babu, a civic activist.

The residents say they will not allow the government to build the commercial complex. At the other end of the bus terminus, hardly a couple of kilometers away, there exists already a commercial complex. The public question if there really is a need for a secondary complex when there are already no halls in the area.When contacted, the zonal level officials said it was a long pending plan. “However, we received objection letters from the residents and have forwarded it to the higher authorities,” said an official.