Coimbatore: Coimbatore City East District Incharge and MLA N. Karthik petitioned the Coimbatore District Collector regarding the livelihood of the poor people living on the banks of the Muthannankulam and requested the government to ensure that they are provided an alternate location within the city.
Coimbatore: Coimbatore City East District Incharge and MLA N. Karthik petitioned the Coimbatore District Collector regarding the livelihood of the poor people living on the banks of the Muthannankulam and requested the government to ensure that they are provided an alternate location within the city.
"Ward 21, Kumarasamy Colony of the Coimbatore Corporation, on the banks of Muthannankulam has been home to more than 3,000 people for more than a 100 years. Recently, as part of the Smart City project, the City Corporation has begun eviction of houses to restore the bund area.
The government is attempting to move these people in order to provide space for the Smart city project. Therefore, the people who are vacated from the Muthannankulam banks have been provided with houses in alternate places at Ukkadam, Keeranatham and Malumichampatti by the Slum Clearance Board.
However, the people from the Muthannankulam banks have been protesting the move stating that the houses provided by the Slum Clearance Board are located in places where even basic necessities such as street lights, rainwater drainage and drinking water are not available. They also said that the houses there have been constructed in a substandard manner and are not suitable for living. Hence, the people living along the bunds of Muthannankulam protested innumerable times and putforth their fair demands to provide suitable alternate housing.
"During the DMK rule from 2006 to 2011, Kalignar issued a GO stating that lake bank encroachments, poor residents of the waterways and government poramboke lands should be removed only after an alternate place of living has been arranged for them.
When this was discussed with the District Collector on November, 26, 2018 I had petitioned that the residents of the Muthannankulam banks have been provided houses by the Slum Clearance board in far off places thereby affecting their livelihood.
They must be constructed apartments or separate houses near the same area. Further, the DMK protested the removal of these people on March 16, 2020 in a protest led by the Pappanaickenpudur Area council secretary V.M.Shanmugasundaram and and was attended by the members of the other allied parties. The people from the area also took part in this protest", he recalled.
"The National Human Rights Commission has filed a case (Case no. 5631/22-5-2020), based on the petition filed against the act of removal of the residents of the area against the Coimbatore District Administration and the Corporation Administration, which is still pending.
Further, on behalf of the National Scheduled Caste Commission, Chennai, the Coimbatore District Collector and the Corporation Commissioner have been asked to furnish the files with details and documents regarding the action taken for the provision of house pattas to the above-mentioned people within 15 days (File no. 6 / 48 / 2020. registered date: 18/06/2020)", he informed.
"However, in the times of the pandemic, instead of assuring the livelihood of the people on the banks of the Muthannankulam, the Coimbatore Corporation has been undertaking the demolition of the houses in the area in a heartless manner.
Therefore, a discussion must be held with the poor residents of the Muthannankulam bank who have been residing there for the past 100 years and a suitable place that will not affect their livelihood must be provided within the city limits. The government must ensure their livelihood", he requested the District Collector.