Sunday, December 06, 2009
Grim prospects for Kannagi Nagar
From The Hindu
CHENNAI: Turning off the Rajiv Gandhi Salai (formerly Old Mahabalipuram Road) at a certain point and proceeding east, the terrain takes on the appearance of a degraded wasteland. The roads are dirt tracks full of steep bumps and pits brimming with dirty water and rubbish. Large pools of stagnant water form the ideal breeding ground for swarms of mosquitoes. The tenements are most shocking of all.
Located alongside mountains of carelessly dumped garbage are minimalist concrete structures in which the people of this colony live. It sounds like an urban nightmare but it is, in fact, the daily reality of the residents of Kannagi Nagar in south Chennai.
Kannagi Nagar is one of several areas to which around 15,000 families affected by the tsunami in 2004 were relocated. Other areas include Semmancheri, also in south Chennai, and Tsunami Nagar in north Chennai.
While the residents of all these areas face the daily struggle of coping with the trauma of life after the tsunami, the residents of Tsunami Nagar at least have running water and a reliable electricity supply.
This is not the case in Kannagi Nagar.
“When we arrived here in February 2005 there was absolutely no electricity or running water available – only these bare dwellings,” says G. Chitravel, a construction worker and father of six, who was moved from Santhome. It took more than 18 months for the colony to get its first electrical pump, added E. Ezhumalai, another resident who was shifted from Santhome.
Electricity connections are only provided after a deposit has been paid, sometimes as high as Rs.2,500.
Why were hundreds of families moved to this underdeveloped area, lacking even basic infrastructure?
“We were told that these buildings, built more than three years before we moved in, were available for occupation – that is why we were moved here,” Mr. Ezhumalai said. Yet the very location has contributed to loss of livelihood for many of them: they are still entirely dependent on work opportunities in Santhome and need to travel daily if they are to earn any wages at all.
With daily bus fares of Rs.30, a significant part of the Rs.100-150 earned is lost on travel, the residents explained.
Recent steps to improve the connection of the colony with the IT corridor area have not improved employment prospects much – most jobs in that area require skilled labour, which is lacking in Kannagi Nagar.
Some NGOS in this area, such as Asha Nivas, are trying to impart skills to the residents to take up jobs in housekeeping (women) and security (men) services.
“The government needs to provide NGOs with venues for vocational training and related resources – otherwise progress will be impossible,” says Father Kurien Thomas, founder of Asha Nivas. Despite numerous letters sent to the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) office in nearby Thoraipakkam, there has not been an adequate response, he added.
Education and healthcare are the severest casualties here. Children have to travel, mostly to Santhome, to get any schooling at all, given that there are no higher secondary schools in the vicinity. With their parents struggling to earn a daily wage, many children end up dropping out and staying home.
Rising crime and mafia-style violence are tightening their grip on the community and the youth in this area are particularly vulnerable, according to staff at Asha Nivas.
Affordable healthcare facilities are also scarce in Kannagi Nagar, barring the Isabelle clinic, run by missionaries, which offers basic services.
“For any serious illness we have to go to neighbouring areas to private hospitals and in most cases we cannot afford the high fees they charge,” said A. Malarkodi, a mother of two.
The conditions in the colony do not help. All residents that this reporter spoke to complained that the mosquito problem was unbearable. “The authorities only clean up the stagnant water when some official arrives here – so there is never a respite from mosquitoes,” said Mr. Ezhumalai, who is himself sick now, visibly so. With sewage flowing freely around the dwellings only canned water is safe for drinking – at a price of Rs.20 per unit.
Efforts by the residents to petition the TNSCB to provide basic amenities have not succeeded.
“I collected and handed over to the government documents outlining the accumulation of garbage, sewage overflow and numerous other problems,” said G. Saravanan, head of the colony. However, he is still awaiting a response from the Board, which is the government authority in charge of the area.Redress grievance
TNSCB Managing Director T.K. Ramachandran said that the Board has taken several steps to redress grievances.
As the local panchayat has constraints in managing infrastructure in Kannagi Nagar, the TNSCB has stepped in to maintain and manage these. A solid waste management program based on vermi composting has been put in place. At present, water supply is being provided through public fountains apart from tankers (50 a day).
Water supply augmentation through the New Veeranam project has already been taken up by the Chennai Metrowater and is expected to be completed in two months. Two reverse osmosis plants are to be installed, he said.
In Kannagi Nagar, projects worth Rs.3.75 crore have been initiated, including repairing of roads, constructing drains and building a new market.
Additional buses have also been introduced on this route. The school has been upgraded to higher secondary level this year. A PHC has been sanctioned apart from facilities provided by St. Isabels Hospital on land provided by TNSCB, he said. Government measures
The Slum Clearance and Accommodation Control Minister, Suba Thangavelan, argued that the government has undertaken steps to mitigate the problem of garbage accumulation. “We even provided uniforms for residents in the area who were instructed on garbage collection and sanitation procedures,” he said. However, other issues, including the glaring problems with healthcare, education and crime could not be tackled overnight, he said.
Today, Kannagi Nagar has all the elements of a full-blown socioeconomic crisis waiting to happen.
The government can no longer afford to be complacent about this ticking time-bomb.
Located alongside mountains of carelessly dumped garbage are minimalist concrete structures in which the people of this colony live. It sounds like an urban nightmare but it is, in fact, the daily reality of the residents of Kannagi Nagar in south Chennai.
Kannagi Nagar is one of several areas to which around 15,000 families affected by the tsunami in 2004 were relocated. Other areas include Semmancheri, also in south Chennai, and Tsunami Nagar in north Chennai.
While the residents of all these areas face the daily struggle of coping with the trauma of life after the tsunami, the residents of Tsunami Nagar at least have running water and a reliable electricity supply.
This is not the case in Kannagi Nagar.
“When we arrived here in February 2005 there was absolutely no electricity or running water available – only these bare dwellings,” says G. Chitravel, a construction worker and father of six, who was moved from Santhome. It took more than 18 months for the colony to get its first electrical pump, added E. Ezhumalai, another resident who was shifted from Santhome.
Electricity connections are only provided after a deposit has been paid, sometimes as high as Rs.2,500.
Why were hundreds of families moved to this underdeveloped area, lacking even basic infrastructure?
“We were told that these buildings, built more than three years before we moved in, were available for occupation – that is why we were moved here,” Mr. Ezhumalai said. Yet the very location has contributed to loss of livelihood for many of them: they are still entirely dependent on work opportunities in Santhome and need to travel daily if they are to earn any wages at all.
With daily bus fares of Rs.30, a significant part of the Rs.100-150 earned is lost on travel, the residents explained.
Recent steps to improve the connection of the colony with the IT corridor area have not improved employment prospects much – most jobs in that area require skilled labour, which is lacking in Kannagi Nagar.
Some NGOS in this area, such as Asha Nivas, are trying to impart skills to the residents to take up jobs in housekeeping (women) and security (men) services.
“The government needs to provide NGOs with venues for vocational training and related resources – otherwise progress will be impossible,” says Father Kurien Thomas, founder of Asha Nivas. Despite numerous letters sent to the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) office in nearby Thoraipakkam, there has not been an adequate response, he added.
Education and healthcare are the severest casualties here. Children have to travel, mostly to Santhome, to get any schooling at all, given that there are no higher secondary schools in the vicinity. With their parents struggling to earn a daily wage, many children end up dropping out and staying home.
Rising crime and mafia-style violence are tightening their grip on the community and the youth in this area are particularly vulnerable, according to staff at Asha Nivas.
Affordable healthcare facilities are also scarce in Kannagi Nagar, barring the Isabelle clinic, run by missionaries, which offers basic services.
“For any serious illness we have to go to neighbouring areas to private hospitals and in most cases we cannot afford the high fees they charge,” said A. Malarkodi, a mother of two.
The conditions in the colony do not help. All residents that this reporter spoke to complained that the mosquito problem was unbearable. “The authorities only clean up the stagnant water when some official arrives here – so there is never a respite from mosquitoes,” said Mr. Ezhumalai, who is himself sick now, visibly so. With sewage flowing freely around the dwellings only canned water is safe for drinking – at a price of Rs.20 per unit.
Efforts by the residents to petition the TNSCB to provide basic amenities have not succeeded.
“I collected and handed over to the government documents outlining the accumulation of garbage, sewage overflow and numerous other problems,” said G. Saravanan, head of the colony. However, he is still awaiting a response from the Board, which is the government authority in charge of the area.Redress grievance
TNSCB Managing Director T.K. Ramachandran said that the Board has taken several steps to redress grievances.
As the local panchayat has constraints in managing infrastructure in Kannagi Nagar, the TNSCB has stepped in to maintain and manage these. A solid waste management program based on vermi composting has been put in place. At present, water supply is being provided through public fountains apart from tankers (50 a day).
Water supply augmentation through the New Veeranam project has already been taken up by the Chennai Metrowater and is expected to be completed in two months. Two reverse osmosis plants are to be installed, he said.
In Kannagi Nagar, projects worth Rs.3.75 crore have been initiated, including repairing of roads, constructing drains and building a new market.
Additional buses have also been introduced on this route. The school has been upgraded to higher secondary level this year. A PHC has been sanctioned apart from facilities provided by St. Isabels Hospital on land provided by TNSCB, he said. Government measures
The Slum Clearance and Accommodation Control Minister, Suba Thangavelan, argued that the government has undertaken steps to mitigate the problem of garbage accumulation. “We even provided uniforms for residents in the area who were instructed on garbage collection and sanitation procedures,” he said. However, other issues, including the glaring problems with healthcare, education and crime could not be tackled overnight, he said.
Today, Kannagi Nagar has all the elements of a full-blown socioeconomic crisis waiting to happen.
The government can no longer afford to be complacent about this ticking time-bomb.
Labels: Kannagi Nagar, Semmancheri, Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, tsunami affected
# posted by Narayan Lakshman @ 6:00 PM 
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