CHENNAI: The villagers of Melakottaiyur protested against the government’s plan to construct apartments by the Tamilnadu Urban Habitat Development Board in their village.
The Tamilnadu Urban Habitat Development Board has been planning to construct residential buildings that can accommodate more than 700 apartments on a six-acre land in Melakottaiyur near the Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road.
The department has also planned to give those houses to pavement dwellers in Chennai and suburbs.
On Monday, when the measuring work started, hundreds of villagers gathered at the spot and protested against the move and demanded the project be dropped. They said there are many poor people in Melakottaiyur who don’t have proper housing. They noted that with too many new constructions, the village is facing drainage problems.
On Wednesday, Revenue officials met with Melakottaiyur villagers and promised to resolve all drainage-related issues and also promised to give preference to the poor of Melakottaiyur while allocating houses.