The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : These officers are a worried lot

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

These officers are a worried lot

Aloysius Xavier Lopez

Education of children, safety prime concerns after order asks them to relocate

— Photo: R. Ragu

A notice put up by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board seen in one of the blocks at the government quarters at the Foreshore Estate on Sunday.

CHENNAI: Hundreds of non-gazetted officers directed by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) to vacate the government quarters at the Foreshore Estate are concerned about the education of their children, as relocation in July may seriously affect their academic work in school.

The Board had issued notice to some government employees on November 26, 2007 to vacate, citing a report by experts from Anna University that said the buildings were dilapidated and unsafe.

The TNHB warned that the rule 84(1) of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board Act, 1961, would be invoked to cancel the allotment of houses to non-gazetted officers at Foreshore Estate. It also cautioned that rule 84 (5) would be invoked to evict the tenants, if they did not vacate within one month.

These non-gazetted employees — mostly lower-level employees such as office assistants and drivers — were assured of temporary accommodation at Semmenchery, out of city limits. “With admissions already having been closed in schools it is hard to secure new school admissions for children as some schools prefer that their students reside nearby,” said the wife of a non-gazetted officer.

Some of the residents said the TNHB had not issued notice to residents staying in flats in the ‘public quota’ and to higher-level officials residing in the same quarters.

Some of the non-gazetted officers have obtained a stay order from the Madras High Court.

The TNHB has issued another notice to some of the employees in June to vacate within one month. The families of around 500 employees were given notices.

However, the employees who obtained the stay order were not issued the fresh notice to vacate.

Many feel that the action of the TNHB to vacate some employees while retaining some in the same campus was discriminatory.

The TNHB officials, however, claim that the measure was intended to provide a safe and secure place to the employees as the buildings were in a dilapidated condition. But the employees’ concern is that the new location of Semmenchery for a temporary residence is not safe.

“The residential quarters at Semmenchery is part of the houses built by the Slum Clearance Board to relocate slum dwellers. The crime rate is high in the region. After my husband goes to work, I will have to live with fear of being alone in the house. I am also worried about the education of my children, as their education is crucial for our well-being in the future,” said a resident.

“The admissions for our children have been secured in schools near Foreshore Estate. Transferring our children to other schools is hard now. After the representation we made in this regard to the TNHB, the department has agreed to give the employees Rs.25,000 as interest-free loan to find a temporary residence near Foreshore Estate. But the rapid rental appreciation in the city has made it difficult to find a house in this locality,” said another resident.

The availability of 500 houses nearby for rent is also a problem. Some residents have suggested that a new building be built on vacant space within the premises without asking the employees to vacate.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu