The Chennai “Cleansing” Drive
By: Akshay Jayakumar
Tags: Ecological Restoration, Politics, Chennai, Discrimination, India

Sathyavani Muthu Nagar, a small settlement by the banks of Cooum river in Park Town, was one among the many settlements that Chennai Corporation have plans of evacuating and eventually relocating the evacuated families. This settlement is often hit by floods every time Chennai has a good monsoon. Initially populated by huts with asbestos roofs, the Chennai Corporation along with Tamil Nadu Housing Board built cement houses between 2008 and 2011.

When a Government replaces temporary accommodation with concrete housing, it is absolutely fair to assume that the occupants are guaranteed permanent residence because a good amount of investment has gone into ensuring proper housing by the Government itself. Right? Wrong!

At the break of the new decade, 500 out of a total 2100 families were evicted and their current establishments were decimated. They were relocated about 30 kilometers away, to Perumbakkam, which is technically way outside Chennai city limits. The worst part — the evicted families were given no prior notice. One fine day, they were forced to be homeless, become vulnerable in the face of the Corporation and get displaced far away, with their vocal chords snapped.

This triggered backlash from other residents in the locality and several independent social activists, forcing the Government to push back and put the eviction/clearance plan on halt. One would assume that the Corporation would go back to the drawing board and evaluate their relocation plan again and that the residents could sleep in peace again.

Almost a year later, the world is no longer the same place. Well, so isn’t Sathyavani Muthu Nagar, but for different reasons altogether. Close to 1750 families have been gradually evacuated in the same way — without prior notice and forcibly moving them 30 kilometers away — away from their former residence, from their livelihood. The locality is now almost dystopian. People have created walking paths among the debris of the decimated buildings. 350 families, striving to make sure they don’t lose what little control they have in their lives. They live in constant fear and anxiety, always half expecting people representing the Corporation to drive them away from their roofs.

“What else do you want the Government to do other than evacuate people living in low-lying areas? They have to keep the greater good in mind! The residents are too close to the problem to understand that!”

This is quite a common argument. And again, not entirely off target. Contrary to popular belief, the residents are perfectly ready and in fact, happy to move. In any practical transaction, at any point of conflict, there needs to be a middle ground. And the expectation was just that. All that the residents expect in return is to move them to a location within reasonable distance from their current accommodation and to be given prior notice before eviction.

The locality is in the heart of the city and many residents are daily-wage workers. They have to use public transport and/or work within close proximity. Their children study in schools that are within walkable distance. Perumbakkam is way across the city. If work-related travel takes only ₹10–20 per day for a resident who has to take public transportation in Sathyavani Muthu Nagar, it would take ₹50–100 if they move to Perumbakkam. And this would displace children from their schools in the middle of a school year. This would clearly mean that they won’t be able to continue education for the remainder of that school year.

As far as providing prior notice goes, well, that is just basic human respect. There is absolutely no necessity to make an argument about why people need to be treated like decent human beings.