GCC repurposes homeless shelter at Kannappar Thidal as printing press

Official says no pressing need for more shelters, but recent survey said 8,331 destitute in city

- PRAVEENA SA

The corporation-run shelter for homeless women at Kannappar Thidal, built using DAY-NULM fund of ₹72.4 lakh, is now being repurposed as a printing press by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). This action has shed serious doubts on the corporation's commitment to rehabilitate the destitute.

Sources said the inmates were shifted to the Kannappar Thidal shelter from a facility in Shenoy Nagar over two years ago. The shelter was managed by Surabi Trust, an NGO that has been working in coordination with the GCC to oversee such shelters since 2013. Around 35 to 40 women resided in this facility. However, in early 2024, Surabi withdrew from the management responsibility, leaving the facility non-operational. Around 15 inmates present during its closure were shifted to various other women's shelters in the city.