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The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Most slum evictions in Chennai adversely impacted resettled families, says study
Of the 95 settlements evicted in Chennai from December 2015 to 2025, social impact assessment to mitigate the adverse impacts by evolving resettlement action plan were facilitated only for five settlements, according to a study. According to a report 'Revisiting Urban Resettlement and Rehabilitation in Tamil Nadu: A critical analysis of Politics, Practices, and Future Directions,' by Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), some internationally financed projects have a specific pre-eviction preparatory process that includes the resettlement action plan and dissemination of the plans to the community, whereas those evicted under State government funded projects, post-disaster rehabilitation, restoration of water bodies and based on court orders are not following such processes. The report called for prioritisation of in-situ development or providing houses within 5 km in the proximate locations. IRCDUC founder Vanessa Peter said: 'The State government must reconsider and withdraw the regressive cutoff date policy and uphold equity in housing rights.' 'One of the reasons for the non-availability of adequate infrastructure and gaps in livelihood restoration is the absence of socio-economic demographic details of the resettled families. Since May 2025, eviction drives are yet again undertaken, and families face several violations because of lack of policy and legal safeguards,' she said. These inconsistencies and discriminatory practices would continue to exist till a robust policy was formulated to govern all the resettlement in the State. The Madras High Court has also observed that the mode of resettlement was a matter purely within the policy domain where the elected government would decide on the mode of resettlement, she said. 'According to estimates, 65,000 families are likely to be evicted from Chennai Corporation zones. Therefore, the existing framework should be strengthened to avoid discriminatory practices and ensure universal application of the safeguards beyond projects or funding,' Ms. Vanessa demanded.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
New observatory says 10K families evicted since 2022 across Tamil Nadu
CHENNAI: Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), an NGO that works for uplifting the deprived urban communities, has launched an eviction and displacement observatory on Tuesday. During the launch, the NGO also released a report reiterating the need for strengthening the resettlement and rehabilitation policy. The online observatory has information related to evictions across the state. From January 2022 to May 2025, around 9,724 families have been evicted across the state with nearly 39,000 people being resettled. Chennai and Coimbatore had the highest number of evictions. Currently, around 53,465 families comprising 2.13 lakh individuals across eight districts in the state continue to face eviction threats. In Chennai alone, 22,234 families were evicted across 95 settlements since December 2015, with 26,403 families now facing the threat of eviction. Chennai corporation, in its climate action plan, states around 65,000 families stand to be resettled. Notably, only five of the 95 settlements had Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and resettlement action plans, leaving 88% of these resettlements evicted in mid-academic year affecting the children's education. The observatory also displays the graphical representation on the number of families evicted and resettled along with mappings of existing relocation settlements in the city since 2000. With no proper resettlement action plan, it said TNUHDB was unable to plan mitigation measures to address issues related to vulnerabilities, loss of livelihood, and education of children. Till date, some children continue to travel 3 to 4 hours/day travelling 40 to 50 Km to access education from the Perumbakkam resettlement site. The report suggests that the R&R framework must be replaced with proper R&R policy.
New Indian Express
20-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
No room for one's pride
Compounded discrimination 'Vaanavil' — meaning rainbow — is also used sometimes pejoratively, particularly through social media, as a label of exclusion. This extends to brokers and landlords. As a result, in Chennai, some owners prefer that the members of the LGBTQIA+ community keep their orientation hidden, so as to not 'cause discomfort' to other residents. Harish S, an arts and culture programme coordinator, shares, 'If you stay closeted, you're a coward. If you're too visible, you're a problem.' The burden multiplies for queer individuals from marginalised caste. Grace Banu, a trans woman and Dalit trans rights activist, shares that while the tenants' 'saviour complex' may extend to upper caste trans persons, the struggle worsens for Dalit and Adivasi trans persons. 'I have shifted 22 houses in 15 years,' Grace says. For most SC and ST trans people, being part of a group is the only way to obtain a rental home, she adds. She also points out that some owners survey the permanent address in their ID proofs to figure out which area (and, in turn, caste) they are from. 'Finding someone's caste is very easy in India. It starts with a simple: 'Where is your native place?' Which temple does your family worship in? What is your last name?' says an agitated Grace. This leaves most trans women with no choice but to reside in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, paying higher rent and deposit than other tenants, notes Jaya, a trans woman, general manager of Sahodaran, a trans welfare organisation. In fact, IRCDUC's (Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities) rapid assessment in 2024 found that 945 elderly persons and 1,430 children were residing in the streets of Chennai, which included 14 trans persons. There is also a stigma that the community members will 'corrupt the neighbourhood' as SwethaShri says. 'Even showing your office ID is not proof enough that you work in a regular office,' she adds. Jaya says such transphobic ideas place immense burden. Landlords cite several reasons, of which the most recurring is the stigma around sex work. 'Most of them will be involved in sex work or are escaping from family; we don't want any trouble later,' says a landlord under conditions of anonymity. Jaya stresses that to find rental spaces to set up an office for the community is equally hard, even for an established trust such as Sahodaran. Even accessing land under Tamil Nadu's free patta scheme is extremely difficult for many trans people, Grace points out, as it requires an Aadhaar card — something many lack because they've fled abusive households and often have limited access to official identification. Those who have been able to avail the scheme got free pattas in remote areas, making commute a challenge, Grace adds. Trans couples who wish to live together, also struggle to find a space. In fact, a trans couple confided having to travel 35 kilometres from the outskirts of Chennai every day for work as most landlords refused to rent them houses in the city. A broker says landlords are worried that the couple will soon break up and vacate the room as they are 'not married and hence, unstable'. Moreover, lack of support from family would mean that the landlord would have to shoulder the responsibility at times of crisis, he added.
