More than 4,000 families along Maduravoyal-Chennai Port project to be evicted

C Shivakumar @ Chennai:

The state government will have to evict more than 4,000 families from the alignment of the 17.5km Maduravoyal-Chennai Port elevated corridor project to restart the project that has been stalled for more than five years.

As the finalisation of Detailed Project report is hardly less than two months away, officials are looking at resettling the families.

Sources said that till now 10.9km stretch have been cleared from encroachment and the challenge lies in clearing the hutments in 6.6km.

As per the enumeration, there were 6,970 families and till now 1.2km of the 6.6km area has been cleared of hutments. “A total of 1,084 families living in hutments along the alignment have been cleared and work has commenced in evicting remaining 5,886 families residing in the 5.4km stretch,” sources added.

“Already efforts have been taken by Public Works Department and Greater Chennai Corporation who have evicted 1,876 families from the alignment in 2017. The remaining 4,010 project affected families may be resettled in Perumbakkam, sources added.

Meanwhile, the state government is also considering to resettle commercial units along the alignment to Auto Nagar in Marimalai Nagar.

It is learnt that development works were undertaken at a cost of Rs 25 crore in Appur and Perumalthangal villages covering an area of 16.91 hectares.

It is learnt that a total of 1657 commercial entities have been identified to be resettled along with families.

It was in 2011 that the revised rehabilitation and resettlement cost of the project was worked at Rs 470 crore and National Highway Authority of India deposited Rs 46.50 crore to slum clearance board for rehabilitation and resettlement of project affected families. NHAI has to deposit the balance amount of Rs 188.50 crore.

Meanwhile, sources indicated since the state government did not acquire the land due to non-release of funds, the compensation now could be paid as per the new land acquisition Act, which could cost the exchequer dearly.

The project, which was frozen for the last five years after the State government raised objections to the alignment, was resolved as the state opted for the suggestion where in the alignment along Coumn would have single piers at almost all places barring a few where it will be double pier, sources added.

Factfile:

Total number of Project affected families: 6,970

Evicted in 2009: 1084

Evicted in 2017: 1876

Balance families to be evicted: 4,010