The People’s Union for Human Rights, an activism group, has recently come out against the government with charges that the recent spate of Chennai slum fires may have been an intential doing.  In the last few months, over 400 houses have been destroyed and five lives have been claimed.

The Express reports:

CHENNAI: A fact-finding team that was formed to investigate accidental slum fires in Chennai this year says these slum fires, which claimed five lives and destroyed over 400 huts, could be politically motivated.

“…What is surprising is that in all these slums where the fire accidents happened, the slum dwellers ere being forced by the government to vacate the place. This eviction proposal was for various developmental projects, including the MRTS project, Vyasarpadi flyover, widening of Vyasarpadi-Basin Bridge Road, Malar Hospital-Nandambakkam Road, War Memorial-Maduravoyal road,” said Madhumitha Dutta, activist, who was part of the 12-member team. While the causes for the fires are still under debate, the rehabilitation activities by the government are nothing short of deplorable, she added.

You can read the rest of the article here.

The Times of India carried the story in a similar article:

Addressing mediapersons here, Prof A Marx of the People’s Union for Human Rights alleged that many slums in the city were catching fire for inexplicable reasons. “Hundreds of houses have been destroyed in such fire accidents in the past, while property worth lakhs of rupees have been laid waste. Majority of the accident victims are daily wage labourers belonging to Dalit and backward castes,” he said.

After distributing relief material and providing an immediate financial assistance of Rs 2,000 per family, the state government left victims to fend for themselves, was the activists’ contention. In some cases, victims were offered relocations sites, such as Kannagi Nagar in Thorapakkam, and Nallur and Kanndapalayam near Perungulathur, but without providing basic amenities such as drinking water, electricity, schools, health posts and sanitation.

It is worth noting that the slum from MGR Nagar mentioned was the slum where we had been working for over a year before it was destroyed by a fire on June 15th, 2009.

We hope this issue of slum fires comes to people’s attention and the reasons and that the causes for these frequent occurences come to light.  In our new project in MGR Nagar, many houses have been destroyed in fires and there is an immense fear of more fires in the future.

The following was in the Times of India today (June 16, 2009,) on page 3.

Many rendered homeless as fire destroys 100 huts
Times News Network

Chennai: More than 100 huts in Nandambakkam were gutted after a fire broke out in one of them during the early hours on Monday. Residents tried to put out the blaze with water and sand, but the flames soon spread to other huts, eventually gutting 106 of them. There was no casualty, however, thanks to a timely alert.

According to the police, around 1.40am on Monday, the roof of one of the huts in MGR Nagar in Nandambakkam, below the bridge near the Chennai Trade Centre, caught fire. An autorickshaw driver passing by noticed it and alerted residents, who informed the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) department around 1.55 am.

The first fire engine reached the spot around 2.45am. By then many huts were destroyed. Five water lorries, five Metrowater lorries and two water tankers were pressed into service. By about 4am, the fire was extinguished.

“The first house to catch fire was locked. A short circuit was the cause. Most of the families here are from Vathalagundu, near Madurai,” said a police officer.

Kancheepuram collector Santosh K Misra and labour minister T M Anbarasan visited the spot at 11am. They distributed relief material, which included five kilograms of rice, clothes and Rs 5,000 in cash.

The residents whose houses were gutted will be shifted to Perungalathur, a place near Tambaram.

“We have been living here for the past 25 years and never before has a fire occurred. We are mostly labourers and now we have lost whatever little property we had saved,” said Muthulakshmi, a resident.

“If they shift us to Perungalathur, our children will find it hard to come to school,” said Ezhumalai, another resident.

Note: According to our information from both the residents and the government, each household was given Rs 2000 in cash.

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Below is an excerpt from an article appearing in The Hindu today. Read the full text of the article on the Hindu website.

100 huts gutted in Nandambakkam

TAMBARAM: More than 100 huts were destroyed in a fire along the banks of the Adyar in Nandambakkam early on Monday. Though no one was injured, damage to property was extensive.

Officials at the Chennai Suburban Commissionerate said the fire broke out at one of the huts in Vatlagundu at 2.15 a.m. It spread rapidly and destroyed 108 huts. Residents managed to pull themselves and their children to safety, but were able to retrieve only a few of their possessions. Fire tenders put out the fire, but by then most of the damage was done. A large number of people from Vatlagundu in Dindigul district had settled down in the area, erecting thatched huts over the past several years and hence the name for the locality. Police said many families had gone to their native place and many of the huts were empty… (read more)

View original article, in Tamil (.jpg, 700kb)

This article appeared in today’s (June 15, 2009) edition Tamil Murasu, a local-language paper. Below is a translation:

108 Homes by Adyar Riverbank Burnt to Ashes
108 homes by the Adyar riverside were burnt to ashes. Several lakhs worth of property was also destroyed. These 108 homes were in Vathlakundu area of Adyar riverside and were under Nandampakkam Municipality. People in this neighborhood engaged in activities like making coir ropes, good-luck charm ropes to ward off bad omens and so on. Early morning, around 1:30 A.M., when people were sound asleep, heavy smoke started coming from a locked house. Due to strong winds at the time, fire started to spread very quickly into other huts. People got up and ran out of their homes in panic and commotion.

Upon learning the news, fire fighters from Guindy, Thenampettai, Raj Bhavan, Tambaram came rushing to the scene. But these homes burnt to ashes even before they could reach the area. Wooden cots, bureaus, jewelry, cash, school books, notes, etc, were burnt to ashes. Police in Nandambakkam have registered a case and are investigating it.

Upon learning the news, Minister T.M. Anbarasan, District Collector Santosh, RTO Nambirajan, TRO Padmajadevi, Nandambakkam Municipality head Sekhar and others also came to the scene. They consoled people affected by the fire and gave each family 2,000 Rupees, saris, clothes, 5 kilograms of rice, and kerosene (for cooking).

Minister T.M. Anbarasan promised to provide each family a place in Perumkalathur with title and make arrangements for students to study in the same area. Collector Santosh K. Misra said that he would make arrangements for temporary ration cards.

Thanks to Ramachandran Ramgopal for the translation. Stay tuned for further updates.

Pa. Vijay is a famous lyricist and poet in Tamil Nadu. He has composed numerous film songs for movies – most notably, two songs in the recent hit, Sivaji. He is also the winner of the National Film Award for Best Lyrics in India for his work in the movie Autograph.

Pa. Vijay read our article in Kumudam Magazine (September 17th, 2008) and was inspired to write a letter to our university, congratulating us on our work.

Below is the Tamil letter that he wrote as well as an English translation, provided by Ramachandran Ramgopal.

We would like to thank Pa. Vijay for taking the time to write to our college. It was very exciting to receive such hearty congratulations from somebody so accomplished!

Visit: http://www.pavijay.in