Residents of a tenement complex demanding that the dilapidated buildings be replaced with new apartments at the same location at Marapalam in Erode in Tamil Nadu, on Monday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Residents of a Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) tenement complex in Erode staged a road blockade on Monday (October 26, 2026), demanding that the dilapidated buildings be replaced with new apartments at the same location.The tenements are located in Marapalam and Kuyavan Thittu, within the Corporation limits. Around 450 families, mostly daily-wage labourers, sanitation workers, small traders and load workers, have been living in the complex for several years.
The residents said the buildings had deteriorated considerably, with cement plaster peeling off and steel reinforcement bars exposed. They had submitted petitions to the authorities seeking the demolition of the unsafe structures and construction of new apartments at the same site.
However, no action had been taken, they alleged.Meanwhile, the TNUHDB had issued notices to residents on two occasions, asking them to vacate the buildings as they were in a dangerous condition. The residents, however, continued to live there.Demanding immediate steps to construct new apartments, the residents staged a road blockade, leading to tension in the area.On receiving information, police and revenue officials held talks with the protesters.
The residents urged the authorities to inspect the buildings and officially declare them unsafe. They also sought new apartments with all basic amenities at the same location, citing their livelihood and the schooling of their children in nearby schools in Marapalam.
They further demanded temporary accommodation or interim rental assistance until the new buildings were completed.The residents also complained that blocked and damaged drainage systems had resulted in sewage stagnating within the residential complex, posing a health hazard and increasing the risk of infectious diseases. Following talks with the officials and an understanding reached between the two sides, the residents temporarily called off the blockade and dispersed.