CHENNAI: Welcoming the state government’s decision to provide pattas to over 86,000 people who have been living in unobjectionable poramboke lands for a long time, the state units of CPM and CPI on Tuesday urged the government to ensure issuance of pattas to those who have been residing in objectionable poramboke lands also.
CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said lakhs of people have been living in watercourse poramboke and other objectionable poramboke lands for a long time. “These lands have undergone a drastic transformation that they cannot be classified otherwise except as residential areas. Besides, this issue pertains to those people’s right to reside. Hence, the state should issue pattas to these people also by amening rules,” he said.
CPI state secretary R Mutharasan said lakhs of people have been living in objectionable poramboke lands for a very long time while the courts have been directing the governments to evict those living on waterways or watercourses. While evicting them, the government should provide alternative sites.
Mutharasan also made a request to the state that many decades ago, the colonial rule had classified certain categories of lands as objectionable and the status of these lands should be reviewed.
“Particularly, vaari poramboke is essential for kamalai iraippu irrigation. But now that method has become outdated. The government should study the present condition of the objectionable poramboke lands and reclassify them,” he added.