Coimbatore : The District administration and City Corporation should immediately stop dislocating poor and downtrodden from urban areas in the name of Smart City, CPIM MP, P R Natarajan said Sunday.

Over 50,000 people were living in areas recognised by the Slum Clearance Board for the last 30 years, with assistance like loans from the Board and the administration was taking efforts to dislocate them for the last few years, Natarajan said in a statement here.

The people in Jeeva Nagar and Ukkadam are facing the similar problem now, he said adding that after declaring Coimbatore as a City, the administration was not issuing land deed (patta) even for those 20 wards which were added to the Corporation some 8 years ago.

With almost all the citizens in these areas eking their livelihood in the city areas, shifting to far away places in rural limits will affect their life, he said.

Stating that there were vacant lands belonging to various government departments in and around the city, Natarajan said that shifting them to rural limits, where there were no basic amenities, transport facility and educational institutions, is injustice and condemnable.

In view of this, the administration should come forward and issue the deed to them staying there for the last 30 years and also take steps to construct houses with government funds, Natarajan said.