The Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), a non-governmental organisation working for the urban poor, has expressed concern over the recent eviction of around 60 families living for the past several years on the land allotted to them under the World Bank-funded Madras Urban Development Plan (MUDP).
Citing reports in a section of the media, IRCDUC, in a statement, said these families in Neduvankarai Pillaiyar Kovil Street in Arumbakkam were evicted under the Integrated Cooum River Restoration Project as the land had been classified as watercourse poramboke.
Pointing out that the MUDP scheme was implemented in Chennai between 1977 and 1987, Vanessa Peter, founder, IRCDUC, said it was aimed at in situ development and eventual transfer of land rights to people through “freehold titles” on the basis of a hire purchase agreement. It was the government that identified the land for settling families under this scheme, the IRCDUC said in the statement.
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