Houses for the poor crumbling under neglect

Dwellers in TNUHDB tenements say there is almost no maintenance and complaints are ignored

The recent collapse of Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board apartment block on Village Street in Tiruvottiyur has once again highlighted the problem of poor upkeep of the dwelling units in almost all places.

The dwellers at the site where the building collapsed complained that very little attention was paid to maintenance, except for plastering work in a few places once in a while.

While the board has initiated an assessment of all buildings that are older than 25 years, residents say the condition of buildings that are less than 25 years old is no better, mainly due to poor quality of construction and lack of maintenance.