THOOTHUKUDI: Ilupaiyoorani villagers on Thursday laid siege to the Kovilpatti Revenue Divisional Office (RDO) urging the district administration not to cancel the free pattas given to them on behalf of the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department in 2002.
Former panchayat president of Ilupaiyoorani Uthandaraman, who led the agitation in front of the Kovilpatti RDO office, said the state government had given 27 free land pattas for 725 beneficiaries on 27 acres in Thiyagi Leelavathi Nagar abound to the Ilupaiyurani panchayat. Each of the beneficiaries, belonging to Scheduled Caste, Backward Class (BC), and Most Backward Class (MBC), were given 3 cents of land each, he said.
Uthandaraman, who was the panchayat president when the pattas were allocated, added that the beneficiaries could not inhabit the colony due to the lack of essential facilities like roads, drinking water, street lights, and other basic needs, but they maintained their lands.
"The panchayat funds were not sufficient to provide drinking water, roads, street lights, and other public amenities,' said Uthandaraman, adding that they recently learned that the officials are taking steps to cancel the free patta citing the lands being left unused.
"It was due to the government's apathy that the beneficiaries could not utilise the land. Whenever someone began constructing a house, there were incidents of the construction materials being looted by unidentified miscreants. Over 100 well-built houses were damaged leaving the builders panicked. The public had complained about the issue to the police," he alleged, adding that they strongly object to the cancellation of pattas and that that the government should stop the withdrawal process.