Government bid to sell slum lands to realtors

In what is being described as a blatant violation of law, the Tamil Nadu government is attempting to divert a stretch of prime beach-facing land, reserved for slum redevelopment and low-income hou­sing, to private commercial players and that too at throwaway prices.
The proposal is expected to render homeless nearly 7,000 families — primarily fishermen who were allotted these lands.
Constitutional experts say the move is against stipulations of the Tamil Nadu Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act of 1971. According to official records accessed by Express, nearly 30 acres of land in Srinivasapuram and Foreshore Estate, owned by the Slum Clearance Board and the Housing Board is in the process of being sold to private players at rates below the market price.
Official records state that the market rate for beach-facing land on the Marina is Rs 1 crore per ground. “It is estimated by independent realty developers that property in this area could be worth at least three times as much,” said K Saravanan, an RTI activist from Urur Kuppam who unearthed the scam.
The Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL), a public-private partnership behind the proposed ‘Integrated Development in Foreshore Estate’, pitched for eviction of 10,000 families living here, claiming they were polluting the Adyar creek and threatening the sensitive ecosystem. Only 3,500 of these families would be relocated, it has been revealed. “What the government is presently planning does not comply with Coastal Zone Regulations, violates the Slum Areas Act and is also in contempt of court,” says Advocate Vasudevan.
“There are three cases pending in Madras High Court over Srinivasapuram. The court has stayed eviction till the matter is resol­ved,”