Shocking news about 600 families jailed by police quarters in Kilpauk in Chennai?
Posted on: 29/Aug/2022 9:44:41 AM
How will you feel if you are forced to walk 800m in a 2.5 feet width narrow lane to catch a bus or buy essential items etc?
Behind the Kilpauk police headquarters in Chennai, a 150m long barricade was erected about 3 years back by the TN Police Housing Board authorities. It is really shocking to mention that this barricade has turned the lives of about 600 families (2000 people) upside down. It is learnt that the residents here are unable to access the piece of land that connects their settlement with the Poonamallee High road or PH Road.
To reach the PH Road, around 600 families belonging to 1-8acre of Pullapuram would have to walk 800m and that is tedious. For the last 50 years, the families did not have this problem and they had easy access to the land that connects their settlement with PH. Road. Now, these people have been forced to go in a 2.5 feet width narrow lane (due to the long barricade erected) one behind the other as there are no spaces for 2 persons to walk together. These people have been finding it difficult to catch the bus or buy essential goods or collect water from the tankers etc.
Bitter truth is that even a fire engine or an ambulance cannot reach these persons through the narrow lane when they are in an emergency situation. It was mentioned by some police personnel that the barricades were put up as a temporary measure to address the safety concerns of the families living in the quarters. In the 1980s, the land was provided for these persons by the district collector but the promised patta for the land never came true and this was according to some residents of Pullapuram in Chennai.
Along the 8 narrow and long winding streets of settlements of daily wage labourers, there are atleast 320 small thatched roof houses or small concrete houses. Truth is that the long big barricade erected here blocks not only sunlight but also fresh air into the houses here. A letter was written by the Kilpauk zonal officer belonging to GCC to the police housing board regarding various issues faced by these residents in Pullapuram.
This letter dated 4th August 2022 has requested the police personnel to remove the barricade as it was a disturbance to the pedestrians, vehicle users plus for those commuters to host family functions and funerals etc.
