Ray of hope after 566 tsunami hit families as new houses are alloted

Chennai: Seven years after tsunami there is hope for 566 families of Nochikuppam as they will be allotted a new house under the Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Project (ETRP) of World Bank at Okium Thoraipakkam under hire purchase scheme.

Sources said the decision to allot houses to the beneficiaries by December 2012 came after a meeting of higher officials last month.

Interestingly, the list included 256 families who would be allotted house on priority basis as their name appeared in the primary document of list of tsunami-affected people despite having documentary proof of residence at Nochikuppam after the cut-off date of January 1, 2005.

The tenements were part of the proposal of Tamilnadu Slum Clearance Board which had proposed to construct new houses under the World Bank assisted ETRP Project to replace 2,862 tenements from Nochikuppam to Srinivasapuram which were affected by the tsunami in 2004, sources said.

Interestingly, it was earlier proposed to construct 816 tenements at a cost of Rs 46 80 crores in Nochikuppam and the tenders had been finalised in November 2009. A total of 994 beneficiaries were selected, which included 734 from tenements and 260 from Huts. “Up to January 2011, about 419 families have vacated and shifted to the temporary shelters,” sources added, adding that the project landed in troubled waters after the beneficiaries protested demanding an additional house for each of them irrespective of their eligibility criteria besides complaining of discrepancies.

In June 2011, a fresh attempt was made to solve discrepancies in the beneficiaries list and inclusion of names which were left out from the list. A new list of 566 beneficiaries was prepared and it was found that 256 petitioners’ names have appeared in the Collector’s List of 2005 and 310 petitioners’ names did not figure in the Collector’s list.

The 310 petitioners, even though their names have not appeared in the Collectors list, will be alloted one house at Okkium Thoraipakkam under hire purchase scheme as vacating the tenements and demolition of the existing blocks could not be carried out to commence the construction work, the source added.

The government will also make public by way of flexi-boards in addition to the individual notices about the very dilapidated nature of the tenements at Nochikuppam, and the necessity to vacate their tenements at the earliest, sources added.

Timeline:

A total of 7,320 tenements were proposed under the ETRP project of World Bank after the tsunami in 2004.

It was later revised to 5856 tenements as per the criteria prescribed by the World Bank in Stilt plus four floor pattern.

Later 3,576 tenements, which were part of the project at Foreshore Estate and Srinivasapuram, were delinked in view of the then proposed Integrated Development Plan for Marina involving Tamil Nadu Housing Board.

Further, opposition from Dommingkuppam and Selvarajapuram, construction of 828 tenements in that area were also delinked resulting in the construction of only 1444 tenements.

Of the tenements, Nochinagar was to have 628 tenements and Nochikuppam 816.

While the 36.47 crore Nochinagar tenements are expected to be ready by March 2012, the Rs 46.80 crore Nochikuppam project was hit due to several roadblocks.

On June 2011, a fresh attempt was made to solve discrepancies in the beneficiaries list. A new list of 566 beneficiaries was prepared

On November 29, 2011, It was decided to allot 566 houses under hire purchase scheme in Okium Thoraipakkam.