Why 7,000 flats in Chennai remain empty? Shocking reasons inside

In 2017, the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu built nearly 7,000 flats in Ennore for people with low income. These flats were made under a government scheme called Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. However, even after seven years, none of these flats are being lived in because the air quality in the area is very poor.

Before 2017, the Ennore area was not suitable for housing because it was close to big industries. It was considered a 'Special and Hazardous Zone' where no homes could be built. But in 2018, the government changed this and allowed homes to be built there. Still, no one wanted to move into these flats.

In 2019, the government handed over the flats to an organisation called TNUHDB. They were supposed to give these flats to people who were living on the streets or near water bodies. But even these people didn't want to live there. One person named Barakath K, who works daily for wages, told TOI that he would rather live near the shore, even though his house could be washed away, than live in the middle of industries breathing toxic air.

The air quality in Ennore is very bad, with levels of a harmful substance called PM2.5 going up to 135 on average. This is much higher than what is considered safe by the World Health Organization.

Some officials raised concerns about the flats being close to industries like the Ennore Thermal Power Plant. But the government still allowed the flats to be built there.

People who live nearby say their children often get sick because of the bad air. One resident named Kavitha Prakash revealed that her son is healthy only for a week each month, and the rest of the time, he has colds, coughs, and fevers. Another survey found that many children in Ennore have had respiratory problems.

Officials say they will make stricter rules in the future to make sure homes are not built near hazardous industries. The flats in Ennore are almost ready to be lived in, and they should be ready for people to move in by June.

Inputs from TOI