Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development and Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday visited Sivarajapuram in his constituency along the Buckingham Canal in connection with the proposed pilot project to restore a 2.9-km stretch of the canal.
Interacting with the people of the locality, Mr. Udhayanidhi assured them that action would not be taken without their consent. He assured those who had to be evicted that they would be provided alternative accommodation in the vicinity so that their livelihood was not affected.
The State government has planned the restoration project for a 2.9-km stretch of the canal from Swami Sivananda Salai to Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai. Many localities such as Lock Nagar, Sivarajapuram, Mattan Kuppam, Rotary Nagar and Sunguvar Street will be impacted by the project.
The Minister appealed to the people to participate in the enumeration exercise being attempted by the government in Sivarajapuram and other localities for the project. The exercise was needed to assess the number of households in the area and to look for alternative housing options.
However, the residents reiterated their demand that they should not be evicted from the locality. They said they feared that their participation in the enumeration exercise would be considered as their consent to relocate.
K. Saravanan, one of the residents, said the people were happy that Mr. Udhayanidhi visited in person as promised to assess the situation. “We have appealed to him to consider the possibilities of constructing a boundary wall along the canal without having the need to evict us,” he added.
