TAMBARAM: At least six women sustained minor injuries when police chased away a group of residents who squatted on the road demanding distribution of flood relief at Stalin Nagar in the southern suburb of Anakaputhur on Tuesday evening. Police said they dispersed the residents without using force.

Residents said of the 100-odd houses in Stalin Nagar that were affected by the recent heavy rains, only a few were identified for relief while a majority of them were ignored. And when relief was distributed at the Government High School in Anakaputhur, a large number of people went back empty handed.

In order to vent their grievances, they squatted on the main road connecting Anakaputhur and Kunrathur. Government officials tried to pacify the residents but in vain. As the residents remained at the spot, policemen were brought in and they "used mild force" to disperse them.

Police have however denied resorting to a lathi charge. Residents of Stalin Nagar alleged that at least six women fell and sustained bruises when some of the policemen chased them.

Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemned the police action. Similar protests were held near Madipakkam Junction on the Medavakkam Main Road, where police chased away a section of residents demanding flood relief. A demonstration was also held in Pallikaranai where residents complained they were ignored by government authorities when the list of affected persons was being prepared.

At the Tambaram taluk office, hundreds of people queued up to receive relief material including cash and clothes. Initially, only about 5,000 houses were identified in the taluk as either partially or totally damaged and eligible for a relief of Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 2,000 respectively.

But the number increased to 38,000 following the State government's order that the relief amount should also be extended to those families in whose houses flood water had entered.

Initially, the amount was given through Account Payee cheques, but most beneficiaries did not have a bank account and opening one was not easy as they had to get letters of introduction from revenue officers in their locality. Even if they managed to open an account, they had to maintain a minimum balance of Rs. 500 and could withdraw only the balance.

Following this, the cheques were endorsed by the Tambaram tahsildar and the cheque holders were able to withdraw the cash from the Tambaram branch of the State Bank of India which had taken special arrangements to tackle the extra rush.

There were still some complaints that the process of identification of the beneficiaries was erratic. For instance, residents of Agaramthen village complained that their houses, built with thatched roofing were totally destroyed, yet their names did not figure anywhere in the lists. There were also complaints that many living in proper concrete houses that were not affected by the floods managed to get relief material, a point acknowledged by government officials.

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