KOCHI: Swift intervention by Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi helped a family retain its home this Onam.
Rajappan and his family, who reside in Perumbalam Island, located adjacent to Ernakulam district, were facing the threat of losing their homes to bank proceedings.
Upon learning of the family’s troubles, Suresh Gopi deposited the money issued by his trust at the bank to halt the foreclosure proceedings. He handed over the documents provided by the bank to Rajappan and his wife Mini at a function in Kochi on Monday.
It was social activist Kannan Perumbalam who took the initiative to approach Suresh Gopi seeking help for the family. BJP spokesperson notified the minister about the issue on September 13, and the minister acted promptly.
“Everything happened within hours,” said Kannan.
This apart, Suresh Gopi upon learning that Rajappan’s granddaughter Aarabhi was suffering from an illness, assured the family of all necessary assistance for her further treatment at Amrita or Vellore Medical College.
Meanwhile, ‘Sanghbandhu Samarpan,’ an association of loco pilots, came forward and told Suresh Gopi that they would sponsor the education of Rajappan’s elder granddaughter Aaradhya.
Rajappan is the sole breadwinner of the family, which lives on the meagre amount he earns by selling the fish he catches.
His daughter Rashmi died of cancer earlier, while his wife Mini is ill. Their son Ranjit is serving life sentence for stabbing a person to death following an altercation with some men who made fun of his sick sister.