Concerns about the quality of housing and basic amenities in Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) tenements have reached a tipping point. Resettled families, relocated due to natural disasters, continue to face persistent issues such as frequent flooding, dilapidated infrastructure, and a lack of essential services. Residents are grappling with the daily challenges of damp walls, crumbling ceilings, non-functional lifts, and poorly lit streets, making them feel fearful and uncertain.
The tragic death of a 60-year-old man in an elevator shaft at the KP Park tenement is a stark reminder of the existing safety hazards. Meanwhile, the government continues to invest crores in aesthetic improvements for these tenements, commissioning costly art projects to enhance their outward appearance, while the internal conditions remain dire.
In an exclusive interview with Citizen Matters, Anshul Mishra, Managing Director of TNUHDB, sheds light on the housing board’s reconstruction plans, its commitment to climate-resilient housing, and the ongoing efforts to carry out evictions with dignity.
Excerpts from the interview
On the quality of TNUHDB tenements
Be it in KP Park, Moolakothalam or Kannagi Nagar, residents have been complaining about the quality of construction. Is TNUHDB planning to do any safety audits? What are your plans to address these issues?
A few projects might have some quality issues, but I believe that the technical wing concerned has taken the necessary corrective measures. However, the mechanism to address any quality concerns needs to be strengthened further.
Projects funded by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Central government undergo third-party audits. It is a good idea to establish an internal quality monitoring cell to oversee all projects as an additional measure. While the Government of India mandates three visits by the third-party auditor, TNUHDB undertakes up to 12 visits depending on the project’s scale and is continuously monitoring the progress.
As per the tender conditions, if quality is not maintained, penalties can be imposed on contractors, and they can be blacklisted. The agency that worked on KP Park has been recommended for blacklisting and is currently under review by Public Works Department. In the near future, we will closely monitor these issues and take strict action against contractors who fail to comply with the tender requirements regarding the quality of the buildings.
On status of reconstruction projects
Many TNUHDB reconstruction projects are underway across the state, including Chennai. Can you share details of the projects undertaken and the timeline for finishing those projects? How will you ensure the quality of construction in these new projects?
TNUHDB has taken up reconstruction projects in the last three years for the older buildings that are dilapidated. A technical committee was formed to prepare a list and prioritise the tenements that have to be reconstructed. Executive engineers in each division handle and monitor all the reconstruction projects.
Currently, the reconstruction of 7,582 tenements across 29 schemes is underway, with a total cost of ₹1,627 crores. Additionally, the government has approved 4,214 tenements for reconstruction with a total project cost for these projects is Rs 728 crores across Tamil Nadu.
The majority of these projects are concentrated in Chennai. In places where the buildings are in very bad shape, people are ready to vacate. But in other areas where the building does not look very bad but is structurally unsound, people are hesitant to vacate. However, this is a challenge we are facing across all the projects. A one-time ex gratia amount of Rs.24,000 is granted to the occupants of these tenements at the time of evacuation to support their temporary stay outside during the project period.
There is a lot of talk on climate change within the government now and the construction industry is a big contributor. How is TNUHDB planning to integrate climate-resilient housing, especially in their new projects?
As part of mainstreaming sustainable practices, TNUHDB, with the support of the World Bank and ADB, has implemented several initiatives in the construction of tenements. I can confidently say that there has been a visible shift in our approach, but it is a work in progress. We recognise the need to train our engineers to be more sensitive to this approach. To support this, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been prepared, and we are planning an intensive training program for all technical staff to ensure the successful implementation of these sustainable practices.
Read more: Chennai families caught in a debt trap as they await new tenements from TNUHDB
On policy frameworks
Experts highlight that the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) policy framework has not yet been released in Tamil. Being a key policy, why has it not been published in Tamil yet?
We will translate it into Tamil immediately and put it out.
Does the Tamil Nadu government have a Standard Operating Procedure for carrying out evictions? If so, can you please share the SOP?
There is no specific SOP for carrying out evictions. As per revenue regulations, we issue a notice and ask them to vacate within 30 days. However, the real challenge lies in convincing them through a dialogue, rather than resorting to forceful evictions.
Eviction is a very difficult process. Even though the allotments are ready, the people are often reluctant to move. One of the key reasons for this is the concern that their livelihood might be disrupted when they relocate to new allotments. This is why we make every effort to keep them as close to their original location as possible.
Long-term housing plan for fishers is a long-pending issue. Is there any work in progress to address it?
We have a proposal to undertake a visioning exercise for TNUHDB to assess the housing needs of the poor, including the fishing communities, for the next 20 years. As part of the World Bank project, TNUHDB has already conducted a study on housing demands. Over the next few months, we aim to develop a comprehensive long-term plan to address these housing needs effectively.
There has been a huge delay in the allotment of sale deeds and patta transfers to the beneficiaries of the Madras Urban Development Project (MUDP) and the Tamil Nadu Urban Development Project (TNUDP). TNUHDB has recently organised camps to expedite this process. What are the outcomes of these cases? How many have received the required documents?
In the past, plots were allotted to beneficiaries under the MUDP and TNUDP schemes, but the sale deeds could not be issued due to non-payment of beneficiary contributions. Over time, many beneficiaries have sold their plots.
Our focus is on the beneficiaries who have paid their contributions but have not yet received their sale deeds. Approximately 12,000 such beneficiaries have been identified. Upon surveying these beneficiaries, we found that many of them did not possess the original allotment orders and documents.
To address this, we are conducting camps at multiple locations. In parallel, we have also set up a team to retrieve the records from the record room, and we have successfully recovered 12,000 records so far.
We are now in a position to issue 5,000 to 6,000 sale deeds within the next three to four months. Additionally, proposals have been submitted to the government for a decision on issuing sale deeds for the second purchase.
Read more: Government should not use slum eviction to further ‘Singara Chennai’ agenda : Migration expert
On basic amenities and flooding in TNUHDB tenements
Lack of access to basic amenities is a common issue in resettlement areas like Kannagi Nagar, Semmenchery and Perumbakkam. The safety of women and children is another key issue in TNUHDB resettlement sites. Has TNUHDB taken any measures to address this?
Following the instructions of Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, we are collaborating with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), Electricity Board (EB), and the Skill Development Corporation.
GCC has taken the initiative to carry out mass cleaning, road repairs, and street light installations. CMWSSB has developed a plan to ensure a reliable water supply, while EB will assist in repairing junction boxes. TNUHDB will focus on repairing the tenements, securing them from miscreants, and implementing a refurbishment plan. Additionally, One Stop Centres can be established in the resettlement areas, similar to the model implemented in Perumbakkam.
A total of 260 CCTV surveillance cameras have been planned for installation through the police department (Tambaram Commissionerate) in Kannagi Nagar, Semmenchery, and Perumbakkam, aimed at enhancing security and ensuring the safety of residents in these areas.
Perumbakkam housing units are built on flood plains. These people were already evicted on account of flooding and other such disasters. How do you plan to address the flooding in areas like Perumbakkam?
Due to urbanisation, the natural water flow has been obstructed at multiple points, causing widespread flooding throughout the city. The entire city needs to adopt a comprehensive flood risk management plan to address this issue. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has prepared such a plan, which will be incorporated into the Third Master Plan.
For disaster-resilient construction, we need to adopt appropriate designs. We can either opt for stilt structures or avoid building in areas that have become flood-prone in recent years. The Chennai Metropolitan Area’s Third Master Plan will provide guidance on where construction should and should not take place, ensuring better planning and flood mitigation in the future.