The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Pavement dwellers federation formed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 11, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Pavement dwellers federation formed

Staff Reporter

An estimated 40,500 people are homeless in Chennai

IN SOLIDARITY: Antony Ammal of the Engal Chennai Pavement Dwellers' Federation addressing the inaugural meeting of the federation in the city on Sunday. — Photo: M.Vedhan

CHENNAI : More than 11,000 households comprising an estimated 40,500 people are homeless in Chennai, according to a census of homeless people conducted by Action Aid International in 2003. Around 83 per cent of the homeless are from the Dalit community.

The non-governmental organisation (NGO) has now brought together some 800 families to form the Engal Chennai Pavement Dwellers Federation, which held its inaugural meeting here on Sunday evening.

The Federation aims to bring the homeless under one banner to voice common demands. It will attempt to make people aware of their rights and get them to utilise those government schemes available to them. The Federation would agitate for the right to shelter and changes in governmental policy.

Action Aid had contended that a 1991 survey that put the number of pavement dwellers in Chennai at around 19,000 was inaccurate and conducted its own survey in 2003. Their survey has further estimated that some 69 per cent of the homeless in Chennai did not have ration cards and that around 72 per cent did not have voter identity cards.

Pavement dwellers in Chennai constitute mostly those in menial jobs with no social security, including wage labourers, construction workers, vendors, domestic help and sex workers, and the unemployed.

Action Aid has expressed particular concern for street children who are vulnerable to sexual abuse, nutrition deficiency, drug abuse and forced employment.

Twenty cluster leaders have been selected and some six leaders would be identified from among them to form the board. The selected leaders would receive special training and would lead the Federation independently.

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