The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Mob attacks municipal chairman's house

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 16, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Mob attacks municipal chairman's house

Swahilya

Residents' anger over `inadequate, arbitrary' flood relief distribution boils over in north Chennai

IN DISCUSSION: Chairman of the Manali municipality, R. Gnanasekar in discussion with councillors after his residence was attacked by public. (Right) A resident of Kalaignar Nagar in Ward 1, wades through water carrying aloft a television set. — Photos: K.V. Srinivasan

Chennai: A protest by residents of the northern suburbs of Manali, MGR Nagar and New MGR Nagar and a flare-up of emotions over allegations of "improper allotment of relief funds," led to a mob attack on the house of Municipal Chairman R. Gnanasekar on Monday night. The windowpanes of the house were smashed.

A posse of police personnel on Tuesday morning stood guard outside the municipality office and the chairman's house a little further away.

The locals were angry that relief measures were inadequate to mitigate their suffering, after the inundation of areas such as Amullaivoyal Vaikkadu, MGR Nagar, Kal Thottam, Kalaignar Nagar, Tillaipuram, Harikrishnapuram and Salai Managar, where water is still standing three to four feet deep.

On Monday, a section of the flood-affected residents staged a roadblock in front of the Chennai Petrochemical Corporation demanding distribution of relief to the affected sections. They alleged people unaffected in the flood had got the relief. The anger spilled over and led to the attack.

Seated in his office amid a discussion with Councillors, Mr. Gnanasekar said "A team from the Tiruvallur Collector's office took a survey of the houses, classifying them as thatched roof, asbestos roofs and proper buildings," he said.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, with a copy addressed to the Ministers for Finance, Public Works and Local Administration, he said that out of 8,196 `G' cardholders in the Municipality, 3,656 persons have been given flood relief while 4,540 persons were yet to receive it.

However, residents of Kalaignar Nagar in Ward 1 of the Municipality are irate. "We have been forced out our houses, which are still filled with rain water. We cook on the road and sleep in the Muslim burial ground," said a woman resident.

In the classification of houses and the issue of relief cheques, the residents suspected foul play.

Councillors agreed and said that the District Collectorate officials who announced relief measures did not take into consideration the details of house-to-house survey provided by them. Instead "they arbitrarily chose to sanction cheques for relief," as one Councillor put it.

N. Anbazhagan, councillor of ward 1, said his ward was the worst affected at Kalaignar Nagar, Tillaipuram, Harikrishnapuram and Edaipalayam. "Of the 140 families in Kalaignar Nagar, where people have to swim to reach to their homes, only 27 have got relief."

K. Renuka, councillor of the ward 9, was afraid to face the public who addressed her in an abusive manner. Some even climbed over her house to attack, she said adding "I slept in the office for some days."

Of the 275 persons in ward 2, only 130 were given relief and 96 persons received Rs. 1,000 and 34 persons received Rs. 2,000, said another Councillor Velmurugan. The discrepancy in the amounts was also found in ward 13, the councillor said.

Tiruvallur District Collector, Pankaj Kumar Biswal, said that relief was given to 3,000 persons, Rs. 1,000 for partly damaged houses and Rs. 2,000 for waterlogged houses, 10 kg of rice, one sari and one dhoti and one litre kerosene in Manali Municipality. Machines and submersible pumps were used to drain water from low-level areas.

The Collector said the trouble on Monday arose because it was the people's demand that the whole of Manali should get relief at the rate of Rs. 2,000 each. An official team took stock of the houses partly and fully damaged, and those in waterlogged areas.

A special team headed by the District Supply Officer had been deputed to collect information on the extent of flood damage.

He said he had received a couple of complaints of cheques being tampered with and these would be probed.

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