Niveditha, a Class 9 student, was sitting alone on the stairs near her 5th floor apartment at KP Park in Chennai’s Pulinathope, the only spot on her floor where there is mobile reception. The teenager was researching online for her school assignment. “There is no mobile range inside our apartment,” she says. The apartment was allotted to her family as part of the resettlement for those impacted by the Cooum river eco-restoration project at Arumbakkam.
Niveditha’s parents are out for work, leaving her sister and her at home. “Most of the floor is empty and it gets a little scary to sit here alone,” says the 14-year-old. About 103 families were resettled at the residential gated complex – built by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) – in the last week of July. A few parents raised concerns about the poor range for mobile devices within the government allotted quarters. Other parents raised concerns about access to schools if and when they reopen.
When schools reopen, Niveditha’s father will have to violate traffic rules by giving a ride to both his daughters to give them an education, “My father is an electrician, he will drop me and my sister in the morning,” says the teenager. About 268 flats have been allotted to families from Arumbakkam and about 663 more families impacted by the river restoration project are expected to be resettled in KP Park in the future.
Preethi, a resident on the 7th floor of the building, says, “I have to lean outside the window to get mobile reception for my son’s online classes.” Her son Arun is in Class 3. “We got admission in a private school as part of a government scheme, so we have to ensure that he completes Class 8. Also it’s a good school, he attends classes regularly and studies well,” she adds.
Usha, who also lives on the 7th floor, says there is no range for mobile phones anywhere inside the building. A domestic worker, she has a daughter in Class 10. “We can’t get a transfer certificate to shift her to a nearby school. No school will take students during the board exam year. When the schools reopen, my children have to travel close to 10 km to reach the school at 8.30 am. It takes a minimum one-hour ride in the bus if there is traffic,” says Usha, who adds that at Arumbakkam she could do domestic work in the morning and return home to help her children with studies. “Now I can’t do that. If I go to work in the morning, I can return only by evening,” she says. The family doesn’t own a vehicle and Usha is uneasy about sending her children to school on public transport. “Earlier it was just walking distance,” she adds.
Swetha, another parent on the 8th floor, says she has stopped her daughter’s education since the start of the pandemic. “We don’t have enough money to buy a cell phone. We tried asking people but no one has one they can spare,” she adds.
All the residents that TNM spoke to said it will be helpful if a mobile tower is erected near their locality to boost reception.