R. ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, OCT 14
The Tamil Nadu Union of Journalists (TUJ) on Wednesday urged the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami not to force the residents of Peters Colony to relocate to far off places in the middle of the academic year amidst the corona pandemic.
In a letter written to Chief Minister, DSR Subash, State President of TUJ (Afflliated to Indian Journalists Union, New Delhi) said, “The TUJ fervently appeals to the Honourable Chief Minister to consider the pleas of the residents, including journalists and others, residing in Peters Colony on humanitarian grounds that they should not be disturbed in the middle of the academic year, as wards of many families are studying in institutions in and around Royapettah, Gopalapuram, Triplicane and Mylapore area.’’
He also recalled the recent statement of the Chief Secretary K Shanmugam that Chennai is facing the second wave of the threat of Covid-19 during October and November.
“Under this pandemic circumstance, the Association appeals to the Peoples’ Chief Minister to prevail upon the TNHB to stop all kinds of activities from evicting the residents, including reallotment of flats in far off places.’’
Subash said the very purpose of starting the Tamil Nadu Government Servants Rental Housing Scheme (TNGSRH) for the employees and journalists is to facilitate them reach to their offices or programmes, including the secretariat, at very short notice. Razing the colony and construction of a shopping mall in Peters Colony are defeating the very purpose for which the scheme was conceived by the then Chief Minister C Kamaraj, he said.
He also reiterated that it is the bounden duty of a welfare government to provide affordable rental housing scheme for the government servants within a radius of 8 km from their offices.
The association once again appeals to the Amma government which always proclaims ‘Makkalal Nan Makkalukkaga Naan’ (I am what I am because of the people, I am for the people) to stop evicting peacefully living families of journalists, government employees, including differently-abled, and employees of Madras High Court. In the larger interest of the students, our appeal is not to initiate the eviction process during the corona pandemic, as wards of these families cannot switch institutions during the mid-academic year. Keeping given the threat of pandemic, the families should be allowed to live till the end of this current academic year.
He said, “Insisting allottees to relocate to damaged and unlivable flats in Lloyds Colony or to the unsold TNHB tenement built near a burial ground in the tail end of North Chennai is not acceptable, as a good number of frontline warriors from the colony wouldn’t be able to reach their hospitals like Royapettah GH, RGGGH and Kings Institute, etc,” Chennai Central MP Dayanidhi Maran had already appealed to the government that it should drop its eviction plan as of now and allow the allottees to live peacefully till the end of the current academic year 2020-2021, the statement said.
The union also appeals to the Chief Minister to use his good offices to stop the TNHB officials from harassing and indulging in barbaric activities such as removing the doors and windows and other household accessories to create fear psychosis among the residents as it is detrimental to the health of senior citizens.
The TNUJ hopes the Amma government will take the necessary steps and resolve this problem of the makkal (residents), Subash added.
