Minister for Handlooms and Textiles and MLA for Ranipet R. Gandhi and Collector JU Chandrakala inspected the houses | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Sri Lankan Tamils who were living in rehabilitation camps in Banavaram and Minnur villages near Sholinghur and Ambur towns in Ranipet and Tirupattur districts were given the keys to their new homes.
Officials of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), which implemented the project, said that the new houses were virtually inaugurated by Chief Minister MK Stalin. The initiative was launched by Mr. Stalin at a function in Vellore in November 2021. Beneficiaries have been living in dilapidated one-room houses with minimal amenities since the camps were set up in the early 1990s.
“Minnur and Chinnapallikuppam villages have two camps for Sri Lankan Tamils. With the allocation of the remaining 88 houses, all beneficiaries in the district have been covered under the project,” S. Poongodi, Tahsildar for Sri Lankan Tamils (Tirupattur), told The Hindu.
DRDA officials said the houses were constructed in two phases in Tirupattur. Free houses were provided to 160 beneficiaries in 2023 under phase 1 of the project. In the second phase, 88 houses costing ₹6.30 crore were handed over to the beneficiaries.
Ranipet district had two camps – one each at Walajah and Sholinghur – with 228 families since the 1990s. In the first phase of the project, houses were given to 96 beneficiaries at a cost of ₹5.53 crore.
Minister for Handlooms and Textiles and MLA for Ranipet R. Gandhi and Collector JU Chandrakala inspected the new houses.
As per the norms, each house cost an average of ₹ 8.10 lakh to the exchequer. Covering 291 square feet, each house has a living room, bedroom, attached washroom and kitchen. The new house includes a free water and electricity connection.
The new residential area also has a community centre, a community children’s center and a convenience store. Access roads to the campsite from the main road will also be laid.
The quarter also has Over Head Tanks (OHT), a public library and a workshop for free professional training.
Tiruvannamalai has 11 camps, the highest, with 3,196 persons. Vellore, Tirupattur and Ranipet have two camps each. As of 1990, 2,239 families lived in these districts.
Published – 18 Feb 2026 05:30 IST