CHENNAI: For the last 50 years, tribals at Ariyathur village of Tiruvallur district endured agony even during light showers, as water seeped in incessantly through the thatched roofs of their makeshift houses.
But, thanks to three government school teachers, these families can now sleep peacefully.
C Solomon, K Balaji, and S Prabakaran from KENC Government High School in Tiruvallur have donated 30 tarpaulin sheets to the families living in the hamlet at Abdul Kalam Nagar in Ariyathur. “They live in poorly built makeshift houses with straw ceilings which do not withstand even light rains. Rains last year afflicted them immensely. So, we procured the tarpaulins costing Rs 30,000 through Armour of Care, an NGO,” said Prabakaran.
The tribals live on poramboke land and their requests for pattas were met with grievous laxity on part of the officials. Without the pattas, they have no permit to construct permanent houses structures here. “We have taken out various protests and met several officials with the petition. Still, the process stays obstructed,” said Thamilarasan, Thiruvallur District Secretary of the State Tribal Association.
The hamlet is devoid of toilets, electricity connections and other basic amenities too. “The women here are the worst affected. They have to tie a saree around sticks to create a safe place for performing ablutions. The houses are all poorly constructed with brick stones for base and straws for the roof. So, we brought the tarpaulin sheets and attached them to the roofs by ourselves,” Prabakaran added.
Prabakaran, who takes free tuitions for tribal kids in Kadambathur, hopes to take classes in Ariyathur too. “There is one Class 12 student here. If he is willing, we want to train him to conduct classes for the other kids too,” he further said. According to Thamilarasan, the school dropout rate has been very high at Abdul Kalam Nagar following the pandemic.