Promise to evicted families falls like house of cards

Residents say they shifted out of Manali New Town in '22 on assurance of ₹5.5L flat, but rate jumped to ₹10.4L

- PRAVEENA S A

BAKIYAM T, a sweeper at a health clinic, earns ₹6,000 a month and ₹4,000 from it goes towards rent. With the remaining amount, the 37-year-old is faced with the impossible task of covering the education expenses of her two children and bringing food to the table. Bakiyam's back-breaking struggle for the family's bare subsistence began in August 2022, when 229 families from Mahalakshmi Nagar and Kudusai Pagudhi, located in Manali New Town, were evicted by authorities for construction of a 9m canal.

Over two years have passed, but these families have still not been provided with the promised housing allocation from Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB).