Seven houses demolished in Goparasanallur leaving seven families homeless

On Wednesday morning, taluk officials and nearly 100 police personnel demolished seven houses built on land classified as a 'kuttai' (waterbody) in Goparasanallur near Kattupakkam in Poonamallee, Chennai. The eviction has left seven families, mostly daily-wage labourers, homeless without any immediate alternative rehabilitation.

Among the affected is Nisha Sathyaraj, a 34-year-old resident whose family has lived in the area for nearly four decades. Her husband works as an air conditioner mechanic, and the family includes two young children, a paralysed father-in-law, and a mother-in-law suffering from tuberculosis.

Nisha questioned the waterbody classification of the land, noting that a road separates their houses from a pond on the opposite side. She added that the families have been paying electricity and water bills for the property since 1984.

The residents received their first eviction notice on June 6 and a sixth notice on June 22. Government officials had been visiting the locality daily since Monday.

According to Nisha, she approached the sub-collector earlier in the week and was told that alternative land would be provided before any eviction. Instead, authorities forcibly removed the families' belongings, shifted them to a nearby community hall, and demolished the homes.

Nisha had also filed a writ petition on June 30 to challenge the eviction. However, the demolition was carried out before the family could obtain a stay order from the court.

Following the demolition, officials reportedly told the residents that houses might be allotted to them after a few months at a location nearly 30 kilometres away, which would require a beneficiary payment of Rs 5 lakh.

Currently, Nisha is staying with her sister, while several other displaced families have taken shelter in the nearby community hall. The affected families are urging the government to provide them with immediate alternative housing.