The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Unoccupied houses turn into dens for anti-socials

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Monday, Dec 07, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Unoccupied houses turn into dens for anti-socials

Petlee Peter

Over 3,000 houses of TNSCB complex’s 15,656 vacant

CHENNAI: Several unoccupied houses in the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) tenements at Kannagi Nagar in Thoraipakkam have turned into dens for anti-social elements and their illegal activities. Police has stepped up vigil and also plans to conduct a door-to-door survey in the area.

The TNSCB complex has 15,656 houses which of which more than 3,000 remain vacant. Last month, in one such vacant house, a youth was stabbed and burnt to death. According to Thoraipakkam police sources, the deceased, identified as E. Vinod (21), a welder from Kannagi Nagar, was stabbed by his friends following a heated argument in the middle of a drinking session inside a vacant TNSCB flat. One of the accused fetched some petrol from a motorcycle parked outside and set Vinod ablaze.

In a similar incident in May 2005, a police informant was burnt to death by a gang at Kannagi Nagar.

A few months ago, a police constable was attacked by a man accused in crime cases from Kannagi Nagar after the former had gone to bring the accused to the Thoraipakkam police station for questioning in connection with a case.

Police sources say that crime rate is high and incidents of violence are common inside the housing complex. Police are not able to keep track of the residents as new families relocate there at regular intervals.

However, K. N. Murali, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Thoraipakkam, said the crime rate had dipped due to regular police patrolling and surprise vehicle checks in the area. “The influx of new families is indeed a challenge for us as we are unaware of the criminal background of some individuals. Therefore, we are planning to conduct a door-to-door survey in the after getting a detailed list of relocated residents from the TNSCB,” he said.

The information collected would be recorded and maintained by a Sub Inspector at the police outpost set up in Kannagi Nagar.

A similar process is also planned for the tenements at Semmanchery, Mr. Murali said.

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