ACTION ALERT- Prevent Forceful and illegal evictions in the name of ‘disaster management’ in Chennai

Prevent Forceful and illegal evictions in the name of ‘disaster management’ and ‘restoration of water bodies’ in Chennai

More than 400 families evicted, 55000 families threatened!

Resettlement at 30 Km away, Zero options of LIVELIHOOD

New Delhi, 25 September 2017: Under the shadow of Madras High court’s interim orders which directed the government of Tamil Nadu to take “expeditious steps for early removal of encroachments by the construction of alternative tenements”, the govt. is illegal, forcibly and by violating multiple national and international human rights, have evicted around 400 families at MSP Nagar in Maduravoyal and few families that have been living along the banks of the Cooum River at Aminjikarai, recently on 9^th Sept and 15^th Sept respectively.

The govt. is biased towards the low-income settlements and homes of the urban poor along the Couum River, which are the only once perceived as encroachers and not the other commercial establishments and residential buildings of other income groups. The multiple human rights violations such as not conducting the Social Impact Assessment, resettling the evicted families to a site which is about 24 km and few of them to 30 km away from their current residential site, eviction without prior legal notice to the residents and that too in mid-academic year, no information has been given to the people regarding resettlement packages and few of them have still not received any alternative housing. There have been no thoughts by the govt. on the impact of these evictions on the livelihood of these families and the future of their children. In the guise of providing ‘safe houses,’ these families are being provided houses in low-lying areas, marshland, and near water bodies that are also vulnerable to floods. These resettlement housing projects have several gaps relating to social infrastructure facility (education, health care and nutrition). These are some of the examples which give a clear picture of the State’s way of accomplishing ‘development’ by throwing the poor and powerless to an invisible place, away from the limelight and lightings of the ‘riches’ of the city.

National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements condemn the Tamil Nadu govt. for carrying out such inhuman and unlawful evictions and appeal to the concerned citizens of this country to immediately call/ write to the concerned authorities (contact details are mentioned below) urging them to implement their obligations humanly and lawfully.

Please send your communication to the following responsible parties:

Shri Thiru Edappadi K. Palaniswami

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,

Secretariat

Chennai – 600 009

PBX Number: +91-44-2566-5566

E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected]

Or file complaints using the Chief Minster’s Special Cell through the following weblink:

http://cmcell.tn.gov.in/

Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission

Thiruvarangam
143, P.S. Kumarasamy Raja Salai
Greenways Road

Chennai – 600 028