Around 30 families residing in Malligai Cheri near Chennai’s MTH Road are facing eviction following claims that the land belongs to the Greater Chennai Corporation. The families say that they have been residing in the area for three generations, over 100 years.
The chain of events now threatening the families started with a writ petition filed by one Narendra Kumar, claiming that the land comprising Villivakam settlement, also known as Malligai Cheri, belongs to the Greater Chennai Corporation and has been encroached upon. Based on the petition, a notice was issued on Monday, January 19, directing residents to vacate the area within seven days, failing which action would be taken.
Residents, meanwhile, allege that the petition was filed by the private individual for his own interests. “The writ petition is filed to benefit a single individual who is relatively new to the area; the petitioner has access to his property through another route; he is attempting to demolish our houses to create an additional access road,” said Shanthi, a resident of Malligai Cheri.
Saroja, another resident, alleged that the notice was given to the residents and that a signature showing receipt of the notice by the residents was obtained under false pretenses. “A signature was obtained from an elderly woman with partial blindness under the pretext that it was for new house allotment. The woman could not even read. We later realised that the document was related to the seven-day eviction notice. Our limited education makes it hard for us to handle legal notices and procedures,” she said.
Most residents are domestic workers and daily wage labourers who cannot afford to relocate far from their workplaces. They are asking that the government either regularise their occupation by issuing documents or provide alternative housing within the Villivakkam area. The conditions in the settlement are extremely poor, the residents alleged, making them now fear homelessness.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] condemned the eviction notice, stating that people who have lived on Greater Chennai Corporation land for decades and paid taxes cannot be termed encroachers. CPI(M) district secretary Selva said the original area occupied by the residents had previously been reduced due to metro rail construction, flyovers, and road expansion works, and that the residents have by now been restricted to a small portion of land.
Vimala, a resident, said, “Even now we have to walk two streets across to use restrooms due to the lack of proper sewage systems.” She added, “Electricity connections were provided only five to seven years ago, after we residents collectively spent around Rs 30,000.”
CPI(M) district secretary Selva, along with party members and residents, met Regional Deputy Commissioner (RDC) Koushik HR to address the residents’ concerns. They also submitted a petition to him on behalf of the residents. After the meeting, Selva said that the RDC has given assurances that the houses would not be demolished within the seven days and has also promised to inspect the area in person.