First meeting of Chennai habitat development committee held

CHENNAI: During the first meeting of Chennai City Habitat Development Committee, held in Ripon Building on Thursday, the government has been urged to conduct camps so that unorganised workers can enroll in the unorganised workers welfare board.

The State government has recently constituted a committee to address the issues and improve basic amenities in the slum areas in the city as well as resettlement areas like Semmenchery and Perumbakkam. Apart from the officials of Chennai Corporation, Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board, city police, Metrowater and other government agencies, the committee has residents welfare associations, civil societies working in the field, members of Parliament and local MLAs as its members.

Speaking in the meeting, Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi said that the committee will ensure coordination between government agencies and implement welfare schemes for economically weaker section in the city.

"The committee has been formed to identify and address basic civic issues like water, sanitation, schools and others. Chennai Corporation Commissioner is the Chairman of the committee, " M Govinda Rao, managing director of Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board, said.

Venessa Peter of Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), who is also the member of the committee said that the civic agencies should ensure livelihood to the families of resettled families and those who are in slum areas. "Special camps should be conducted in such areas to enroll the residents, who are mostly employed in unorganized sectors, to enroll them with the welfare board, " she added.

Meanwhile, a Chennai Corporation press release said that the boundaries of Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board's local jurisdiction has been redrawn based on boundaries of civic body zones. "An initiative has been started to upkeep the TNUHDB tenements. Under the initiative, residents can form residents welfare associations and to encourage residents to start association, fees for the registration of associations has been waived. Also, the government will provide maintenance charges for the first three months, " the release added.

As per data, the TNUHDB has constructed as many as 99,032 tenements of which 30,468 tenements are in Sholinganallur zone.