Cyclone Thane – 29th & 30th December
The last program is the construction of 50 houses at Sellur, Nagapattinam District and its suburb, Tamil Nadu. Its financing has been fully covered by the ngo French Red Cross and the responsibility was fully taken by Volontariat.
After many difficulties, causing delays: low ground, often flooded, the presence of a high voltage line above the ground, disagreement of the two contractors sharing the work, etc., finally the houses are completed and awaiting to be occupied.
The regional Government and the Municipality of Nagapattinam have yet to raise the ground around the houses and connect them to public water and electricity. But the biggest difficulty is that the "Collector" of the district, representative of the Central Government of India, has still not decided on the allocation of these houses.
But as families have not taken possession of them, Volontariat needs to maintain a security guard, day and night, to prevent thefts and damages. The result is an additional cost for the programme, now covered by the donor grant [for how long?]. But mostly it is a responsibility that Volontariat would like to get rid of, as soon as possible.
To date, our demands in this line have not found any positive response from the governmental authorities.
