TNUHDB collapse: 17 of 28 families given new houses

The State government on Sunday alloted houses for 17 of the 28 families who lost their house in the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) building collapse on Grama Street, Tiruvottiyur, last week. The remaining families got a one-time payment of Rs 24,000.

However, residents of the adjacent blocks are still homeless. Officials said that they will be given houses after the current structures are demolished and new buildings are constructed at the same location in two years.

Of the 17 families, nine got houses near All India Radio, Ernavoor, and eight at NTO Kuppam, Ennore. The remaining families will be given houses when the construction of new buildings are complete.

On December 27, block D of the TNUHDB building collapsed and the families were shifted to a community hall on the same day. The State government gave Rs one lakh per family, and Rs 10,000 for another 20 families who were staying in another part of the block.

“The new houses were alloted for the families who were living in the collapsed building. As we were staying on another part of the scheme, we were not given any alternative places to stay. We were hoping that they would give us houses in the city itself. After giving houses to 17 families, the officials forced us to leave the hall immediately. We are now staying with relatives and friends,” said Kamatchi K, a resident of block D.

“In the week after the collapse, many house owners in the locality raised the advance and rent amount. And we cannot afford to pay Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 on rent alone,” she added.

Many residents are still camped out on roads as they refuse to go back to the dilapidated TNUHDB buildings.

Speaking to DT Next, a senior official of Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board said engineers will check the quality of the houses here in a day or two. “The block would be reconstructed in two years and handed over to the residents who were staying here,” he said.