Nomadic tribal people at Sakkimangalam demand renovation of houses before onset of monsoon

The Hindu

4 days ago

Members of the Narikuravar community – a nomadic tribe included in Scheduled Tribes (ST) – sought renovation of their houses before the onset of monsoon season.
Submitting a petition at the Collectorate during the weekly grievance meeting here on Monday, R. Gandhi, one of the residents, said that about 200 houses built in 1991 under the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) scheme had become dilapidated due to improper maintenance. Though the people themselves carried out minor repairs, they have been unable to do major renovation works owing to their economic condition.
He said that they had been struggling to reconstruct the houses as the roofs and walls have started crumbling since 2015 itself.
As a remedy to the damaged houses, the local body since 2016 has been asking them to stay in the community halls during the monsoon season to avoid any fatal incidents.
M. Jaiganesh, a ward member, said that due to their repeated requests, the local administration staff members visited the locality and surveyed the condition of the houses.
'Earmarking 71 houses for reconstruction, they got ration card, community certificate, patta and Aadhaar cards from the residences,' he added.
The survey promised that they would be provided houses but again monsoon arrived, and their houses continue to be in a precarious condition, he noted.
Even last week, part of the roof of a resident named Pandidurai collapsed. 'As the family were out in a hospital to treat a five-year-old child, all of them escaped,' said Mr. Jaiganesh.
If the houses were not renovated or reconstructed at the earliest, they would have to live in continuous fear, he said.