In a mammoth transformative project, 76 Irula tribal families are being given concrete houses at the Eureka Nagar in Irumbedu village, 40km from Chennai at Chengalpattu district, in a phased manner. RC Madras, RID 3234, and AID India are building well-planned, neatly spaced out 360 sqft dwelling units consisting of two rooms, a kitchen and bathroom, along with a front yard with a tiled bench (thinnai) for social gathering.
Speaking at the handover ceremony for 22 houses under phase-2 of Project Homes for the Homeless at the Irula village, PRID Anirudha Roychowdhury said, “I was amazed to see the meticulous thought process and the nitty-gritty planning that has gone into providing houses for tribal families. A township is under development with the involvement of Rotarians from RC Madras and their partners.” While it was a dream come true for the tribal families, “there are also emotional aspects involved in building houses for them.” Noting that CSR-funded Rotary projects are seeing an exponential growth in India zones, he said, from the next Rotary year, a new zone ( Russia region) is being added to India region. He was confident that in the next three years, there will be comprehensive growth in this village.
Roychowdhury urged the RCM team to set up a medical centre, along with an ambulance, at the village. Rotary is empowering the Irula families as “their children are the first-generation school goers, and I am sure they will make the best use of the vocational centre being set up here. It touches our hearts to see that RCM donors, including green Rotarians, are sponsoring individual houses,” said DG Vinod Saraogi.
Recalling the genesis of an Irula township as RCM Rotary Village over the past five years, project chair N Prakash said in the first phase 31 houses were completed and handed over in Feb 2025. This was supported by CSR funding of ₹1.3 crore from Access Healthcare, apart from RCM donors. “In the second phase, 22 houses are being handed over to the beneficiary families, and another five houses are under construction.”
We are ensuring a better tomorrow for the tribal families with healthcare, and education of their children as the RCM Rotary Village offers a stable place for Irulas.
— Nikhil Raj, president, RC Madras
Each home has a small plot for a kitchen garden in the front and the families are being helped by members of the Eureka Tree and Eco-Club on choosing the right tree species. The Eco-Club is planting over 690 diverse trees along the mud roads dividing the houses.
Data-driven, tracking impact
In an AV presentation, AID India founder-CEO Balaji Sampath, who monitors the daily progress of this housing project, recalled that 76 homeless Irula families living across seven villages in Chengalpattu district were identified as prospective beneficiaries in a 2021 study.
But they didn’t have Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards, nor community certificates. “We helped them to get these ID cards, and then applied for pattas (title deed) for land allocation at the tahsildar office. After we got the pattas in 2023, a government surveyor team visited the four-acre barren land in Irumbedu, and marked it out for each beneficiary. We built 62 huts in October 2023, and shifted the families to their new dwelling units, followed it by installing a dozen solar streetlights, and applied for power supply from the Electricity Board.”
AID India dug a borewell and installed six water tanks (5,000 litre, ground level) in Nov 2023. “Heavy rains in Dec 2023 created hardships for the families, and hence, we used an earthmover to dig open canals for draining the flood water,” explained Sampath. “As men could not go to work due to floods, we provided rations for six months to all the families.” At this delicate stage, past president Chella Krishna (2024–25) visited the site in Feb 2024, and decided to pitch in Rotary as a partner in the housing project.
Before Rotary could formally join the township development in July 2024, Sampath had built eight houses (each ₹4 lakh) with the help of his IIT Madras alumni friends. “After RCM joined as a partner, we speeded up the work, and got approval from the district collector for phase-1 — 31 houses — which was completed last year.” So far, 61 houses have been completed in two phases, and five are under construction. Vara Future LLP has chipped in as a CSR partner with a contribution of ₹1.2 crore for the second phase.
RCM has set a target to complete 39 houses under phase-3, thus reaching 100 dwelling units, by its centenary year 2029. The club plans to build 500 houses at various sites in Gummidipoondi taluk, Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu districts, all near Chennai, under Project Homes for the Homeless, by 2029. At present, it has built 160 houses across revenue districts near Chennai. “All the project work is being data driven, and the impact is being studied by AID India volunteers and Rotary members before proceeding further,” said Prakash.
Together with Rotary, “we are not just building pucca houses, but also providing livelihood, education and healthcare for tribal families. We have applied for piped water supply at the district collectorate. We will be adding two more borewells and eight new tanks to meet the needs of the new households,” said Sampath. The panchayat office has promised black-topped roads (₹40 lakh) soon. A primary school and a community centre which would offer vocational training are being run by AID India with the support of RCM, and an artificial pond (20×20 feet) is being dug up. “All the 60 Irula children are going to school, and the women will also be trained in vocational skills in due course,” said D Vimala, coordinator, AID India.
Club president Nikhil Raj said, “we are ensuring a better tomorrow for the tribal families whose lives are now secured with healthcare and education for their children. Rotary Village offers dignity to the Irulas through a stable place to lead a life of confidence and hope.”
More Irula families have been identified, and all the 24 are awaiting pattas from the district collector for land allocation.
Pictures by Muthukumaran