Chennai: No End To Forced Evictions, Promises End With Speeches

Around 100 families residing in Govindasamy Nagar in Chennai city are being evicted from May 11, 2022. This is the fourth such known eviction in the city itself after the Stalin-led DMK government came to power exactly a year ago. On May 9, 2022, a person near 60 years old named Kannaiyan succumbed to death, a day after he set himself on fire to resist the eviction from their place, where they were living for long years. "Save these voice-less people, save these voice-less people", he was shouting after setting himself ablaze. The eviction has been stopped temporarily after this tragedy.

Snippet of a video in which Kannaiyan is burning

Snippet of a video in which people are trying to save Kannaiyan

Kannaiyan's death happened when the Tamil Nadu Assembly session was going on just a few kilometres away. While replying to the attention motion moved by the opposition parties, the Revenue Minister told the Assembly that the State government was implementing the order of the Supreme Court in Govindasamy Nagar based on a petition by a private party to clear the embankment area of the Buckingham Canal.

Image - Residents of Govindasamy Nagar protest against the eviction

GOVERNMENT’S STAND AND STATEMENTS

On the very same day when Kanniayan died, the Chief Minister made a statement in the assembly that "Consultation will be held with people before resettlement to prevent such incidents. We will ensure conflict-free operation by talking to elected representatives of the locality." Then the question that arises here is, what is the significance and status of the Draft Resettlement Policy his government released six months back? Another key concern is that the Chief Minister has not visited any of the places where forceful evictions happened in the state capital, which includes his constituency as well.

Like Kanniayan's family, most of the families in Govindachamy Nagar have been settled there for several years. While announcing Rs 10 lakh solatium to Kannaiyan's family in the assembly, the CM said that he was speaking with a heavy heart and hoped that this kind of tragedy will not be repeated. Meanwhile, Kannaiyan's family has refused to accept his body. The family wanted the government to file an abetment to suicide case against officials, particularly those from the Water Resources and Revenue department who are involved in the eviction drive.

OPPOSITION AND CONCERNS

The authorities say that the eviction is required to widen the banks of the Buckingham Canal.
The razing of houses at Govindasamy Nagar continued despite strong resistance from the residents. They had requested to give more time as their children’s class 10, 11 and 12 exams were underway.

 Nobody from the ruling party DMK has visited the Govindasamy Nagar when the eviction took place. Very few political parties, especially Left parties have attempted to address their issues. CPI(M) is one of them and their state secretary K Balakrishnan made a phone call to the Chief Minister to stop the eviction process immediately. He conveyed the people’s concerns after visiting the place. “The authorities have taken a biased stand to favour the private parties’ interest without considering the plight of the slum dwellers,” said Velmurugan, the party’s district secretary of South Chennai, who was also at the forefront in resisting the eviction standing with the victims.

Velmurugan talks to the people in Govindsamy Nagar along with K Balakrishnan

O Panneerselvam from the opposition party AIADMK said, “The people were allotted houses by Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board and they had been paying all taxes. The area was notified as a slum in 1973 under the Tamil Nadu Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, 1971, and since it had not been denotified as it was not possible under the Act,” He pointed out and urged the Chief Minister to stop the eviction drive.

K Selvaperunthagai (Congress) pointed out that SASTRA University illegally held lands belonging to the Prison Department while poor people of Govindasamy Nagar were being evicted. GK Mani (PMK) pointed out that a government building in the area had not been demolished but the people’s houses were razed.

THE PROBLEM LIES WITH THE POLICY

Kishore Kumar, a researcher on state informality and peri-urban development, who has also done an analysis of the new Draft Resettlement Policy of the incumbent government, pointed out that the approach to the slum dwellers in the city has problems. “We have to see such eviction in the global context of neoliberalism, in which not only nations or states but even cities compete with each other to invite foreign capital. Therefore, the rulers think that the slum dwellers should be evacuated from the cities as part of the city development policies" he said to NewsClick. He emphasised that poor people are also part of the cities and should not be evicted to the outskirts for the city to have a cosmopolitan character.

Images Courtesy: Prakash R