CHENNAI: Demo seeking houses for tsunami-hit

source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/demo-seeking-houses-for-tsunami-hit/227918.html

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on December 03, 2010:

CHENNAI: Irked over the state government's last minute backtrack on construction of houses for tsunami affected fishermen families at Periyakuppam near Palaverkadu lake after giving assurance some five years ago, about 1,000 members including a majority of women and children from the hamlet on Thursday staged a demonstration in front of Gummidipoondi taluk office to express their anger.

According to locals, state government, after inspecting the Periyakuppam hamlet post-tsunami devastation (2005), had assured of constructing 170 houses for the fishermen living in the locality.
In 1990, after receiving representation from these fishermen, state government had constructed these houses as a rehabilitative measure for fishing community living in huts.
After tsunami (December 2004), these houses, which were already in bad shape, had started crumbling, thus putting lives of occupants at risk.

Though the locals from time to time reminded the Tiruvallur district administration about the promise made to them five years ago, there were regular assurances from the authorities of constructing houses at the hamlet at the earliest.

While the fishermen families were certain that the houses would be built for them soon, about one month ago in October, the district administration has informed them that the project to construct 170 houses at Periyakuppam hamlet could not be completed citing funding problem.

Agitated over the government's lastminute denial, South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association (SIFWA) has organised the daylong agitation.
Though the taluklevel officials visited the agitators in the afternoon, talks broke down after the authorities failed to announce a date to start the stalled project.
"When construction works for about 2000odd such houses (as part of tsunamirehabilitation) in and around the hamlet have already begun, why these fishermen were left out of the benefit," questioned K Bharathi, president of SIFWA.

When all these families were receiving every other benefit meant for tsunamiaffected fishermen, why they are denied new houses, Bharathi added.
1-month ultimatum to govt
 Fishermen and their families who have participated in the agitation on Thursday served a one-month ultimatum to the district adminis tration to come out with a concrete proposal for constructing hous es for them.
If the government authorities fail to come up with any solution in the one-month deadline, fishermen families would be forced to stage massive agitations against them at many places including at district headquarters, Bharathi told Express.