The decision by the Tamil Nadu Urban Housing Department and Slum Clearance Board to allot apartments constructed by them near the Loop road to residents of Dummingkuppam, a fishing village which lies close to Chennai Marina beach, on a priority basis, has angered people belonging to fisher community from the nearby Nochikuppam, who were expecting these allotments.
Board officials began allocating tokens to eligible residents of Dummingkuppam tenements on Thursday, April 27, as the buildings where they currently reside are on the verge of collapse. The protestors from Nochikuppam gathered at Block-1 of the complex, after tokens for houses were allotted to people residing at Dummingkuppam and Selvaraj Puram.
Officials said the tenements in Dummingkuppam were damaged in January 2023. “The government is prioritising the Dummingkuppam community because their houses may collapse anytime. A total of 320 houses have been allotted for them so that their current place of residence can be demolished and reconstructed,” said a Board official, who did not want to be named.
Nochikuppam, an urban slum situated at the end of Marina beach, houses several fisher families who are dependent on the sea for their livelihood. Residents of Nochikuppam had recently staged a protest after the Madras High Court ordered the removal of fish stalls from the Marina loop road blaming them for the road congestion. After the tsunami struck the shores of Chennai, the Board started constructing multi-storied apartments to house the fisher families who were affected by it.
“The officials rushed yesterday to allot the houses to families from Dummingkuppam and Selvaraj Puram. Most of them are not from fishing communities. The buildings originally allotted for them are still under construction. Why are they rushing to give away our houses to them? We request the authorities to allot the houses to the Nochikuppam families. We will continue our protest until it happens,” said Senthil Velan, president of Anaithu Meenava Munnetra Nala Sangam, an organisation for fisher welfare.
The villagers along the shores of Marina Beach have settled into temporary tenements post the Tsunami in 2004, after their buildings weakened and a few of them even collapsed. There are around 18 villages along the coastline of the Marina Beach. Nochikuppam, Dummingkuppam, Urur Olcott Kuppam and Mullikuppam are some of them. These settlements have since been affected badly due to recurring cyclones.
Many protestors complained that the authorities were purposefully making it harder for families from Nochikuppam to qualify for housing. However, the Board officials have denied the allegation. “We have already allotted 534 dwelling units to residents of Nochikuppam. They are currently asking for housing allotments for their extended families. We will definitely allot houses for them also but the government has prioritised evacuating residents of Dummingkuppam from their current residences to avoid loss of lives,” said the Board official. While 11 blocks meant for residents of Nochikuppam are complete, buildings meant to house residents of other villages are still under construction.
The construction began in 2014. A total of 1,188 dwelling units have been constructed so far, west of Marina Loop road. Out of them around 320 are occupied by those who lost their livelihoods due to the 2004 Tsunami. A total of 320 houses were reserved for residents of Dummingkuppam.