How ghettoisation of Chennai’s poor has endangered women, children in resettlement areas
Residents relocated at Semmencheri say bad eviction planning has increased unemployment, leading to crimes, domestic violence and sexual abuse of women
Hundreds of mothers in Semmencheri, barely 30 km from Chennai city, are wary of letting their girl children play on the streets. The fear of sexual abuse and violent attacks has chained many girls to the confines of their homes or led to their early marriage in this part of Tamil Nadu for several years now.
Some families in Semmencheri have also installed CCTV cameras outside their houses to keep a vigil on their children and protect them against crimes.
Resettlement places turn crime zones
Over a lakh families that lived in over 100 slums and housing board colonies in prime locations of Chennai city like Egmore, Thousand Lights, Besant Nagar, and RA Puram were evicted for various development and infrastructure projects a decade ago.
While many were rehabilitated by the government at Semmencheri, Kannagi Nagar, Perumbakkam, and Navalur, these resettlement areas have become crime zones over the years.
Terrorised residents
When The Federal visited a couple of resettlement areas on the outskirts of Chennai city, scores of mothers painfully shared their tales of living in fear. One of them was 30-year-old P Viji, who has installed a CCTV camera at the entrance of her house to keep an eye on her toddler.
Viji says her family had been living in Besant Nagar for several decades, but was evicted and relocated to Semmencheri in 2017.
P Viji has installed a CCTV camera outside her house to keep an eye on her toddler.
“We lived a peaceful life in the city, but after relocation, I have been living in fear. Stalking is very common here. I have witnessed many instances of attacks on women in public places, abuse of children by miscreants, and rampant drug abuse. I was worried about the safety of my child. I do not allow her to play outside and also check the CCTV to make sure my toddler is safe,” Viji said.
Bad eviction planning, unemployment main reasons
Social workers like K Kanjana cite ample examples to show how improper rehabilitation plans before evictions have led to unemployment and taken a heavy toll on family relations, leading to increased instances of domestic violence.
M Belinda, a resident of the locality, says that unemployment is the root cause behind domestic violence and attacks in the area.
“The majority of unemployed men have become addicts to alcohol and drugs. Many teenagers are also becoming addicts like their fathers,” she added.
Lack of basic facilities
Belinda says that even basic amenities like drinking water and drainage pipelines are not properly laid in several locations in the resettlement areas.
“We don’t have proper drinking water. The drainage water gets mixed with the drinking water pipelines. People often fall sick here,” she added.
Residents say the quality of water supplied in the area is of very poor quality
Residents say there are no streetlights in the area, which discourages women to venture out in the night. The area has just one hospital with a solitary doctor to cater to the thousands of residents.
That apart, many women in the area have demanded a women’s police station to combat violence against women.
Rise in child marriages
Insecurity among parents has goaded many of them to marry off their daughters at a young age, say activists.
“Despite several awareness initiatives, many child marriages happen here, and we see many teenage mothers. Parents who do not want to leave their children alone at home push them into marriage in their teenage years. Domestic violence and poverty continue to affect women here,” she added.
The Penurimai Iyyakkam organisation filed a case with the Madras High Court in 2017 to address violence against women in resettlement areas and loss of livelihood. According to the petition, scores of daily wagers who were evicted from bustling city areas to eerie suburbs lost their livelihoods due to the relocation. As many turned unemployed, they contributed to the growing crime rate.
What Advocate Commissioner’s report said?
In 2018, the High Court appointed Advocate Commissioner K Elango to identify reasons for the increase in crime and propose measures to improve women’s safety. Based on the first report by the Elango in July 2018, new police stations were set up in resettlement areas like Perumbakkam.
In his recent report in June 2024, Elango highlighted how basic amenities and security issues affect the daily lives of residents in resettlement areas. He stated that violence against women has increased in the last seven years.
He said that an increase in police patrolling during the day and night hours is necessary to reduce crime rates there.
“Only when adequate policemen are deployed round the clock in this area will residents live peacefully. The quality of water supplied in these neighborhoods is very poor. The sanctioned strength of the police station in Perumbakkam is 76, but the present strength is only 50. However, only 20 policemen are available for the effective discharge of police duties,” he said in the report.
Govt tries to paint clean picture
When the court questioned the Tamil Nadu Housing Department on the efforts taken to address long-term safety issues, the counsel for the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board said the relocated families have been provided with all the necessary basic amenities and facilities.
However, voluntary organisations are not satisfied with the initiatives mentioned by the officials. They allege that the government’s initiatives have no impact on the ground.
When The Federal asked Social Welfare Commissioner V Amudhavalli about measures taken to make resettlement areas safe for women, she said separate teams have been formed to spread information on helplines for reporting violence against women in public spaces, domestic violence, and child sexual abuse in resettlement areas.
“We are in touch with the police department to provide adequate security. Key issues are loss of employment and dropouts among girl children. We will ensure that dropouts are back in school and will improve amenities for the safety of women in those neighborhoods,” she said.
‘Ghettoisation of deprived families’
However, activist Vanessa Peter is not convinced of the government's initiatives. She criticised resettlement processes that have resulted in ghettoisation and violated the basic human dignity and rights of families.
“The livelihoods of urban deprived communities are location-centric and market-centric. When people are resettled to peripheral areas, there is a loss of employment opportunities. All of this has a bigger toll on women. Ninety to 95 per cent of those who are resettled are engaged in the informal sector of labour. This resettlement has also deprived them of their right to live in a city and their right to livelihood,” she said.
HELPLINE NUMBERS:
Women’s helpline – 181
Women’s helpline – 1091
Distress hotline of Chennai Police – 8300304207