The Hindu : Leasing of slum board shops stayed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 25, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Leasing of slum board shops stayed

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, JAN. 24. The Madras High Court has restrained the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board from leasing out shops constructed after demolishing a sump at its T.P.Chatram settlement.

Justice K. Ravirajapandian granted the interim injunction on a petition filed by the Residents Welfare Association of T.P.Chatram, and stayed the occupation of vacant shops yet to be leased out.

The multistoreyed unit has 1,500 tenants and consists of eight declared slums. It also has eight shops and 12 single-person quarters.

All the tenants, shops and quarters used to receive water from a common sump, adjacent to the single-person quarters. In November last, the Board demolished the sump and built three more shops, despite protests from the association.

While one of the shops was allotted to a ruling party councillor, another was leased out to the kin of another ruling party functionary, the petition alleged.

It said the Board should not have allowed the demolition of the sump and construct shops, depriving the tenants of water during the summer.

The demolition and construction was done overnight, despite protests, it alleged.

Besides an injunction restraining the authorities from leasing out the shops, the petitioner prayed for a direction to the Board to restore the sump in its original place.

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