VILLUPURAM: A 18-year-old Irular girl from Villupuram has beaten all odds to become the first nursing student from their community. Her strength has always been unabated despite the struggles of life. Now, life has thrown her another challenge and she is grappling with the issue of no free bus pass from the district transport corporation.
Among the 25 families in a Irular tribal settlement at Veeranamur village in Gingee, C Sangeetha(18) is the first high school graduate who is pursuing a professional course in nursing. Her father P Chinnasamy (41) and mother C Lakshmi (36) were victims of bonded labour at a brick kiln in Thiruvallur district and were rescued by the officials in 2009. The couple has three daughters including Sangeetha.
“When we were rescued from the kiln, I realised education is the real tool to liberation. So I have sent them all to school and my eldest daughter is now pursuing first year in Nursing at a private college,” said Chinnasamy.
Sangeetha was given a free seat in the college after knowing their family background. “The college exempted full fee for our daughter, this is more than what we had ever dreamt of,”Lakshmi said.
However, Sangeetha is facing a crisis to commute from her home to Mundiyambakkam government hospital where training is going on. Sangeetha told Express, “I was able to join the college for free because the correspondent was generous enough to understand my situation. I applied for free bus pass to the district transport corporation but I received a reply saying there is no provision to provide me one.”
An official source from the Collectorate told Express that the details of commercial transport facilities must be clarified with the general manager of TNSTC, Villupuram and further course of action will be taken in this regard. “The details of the student along with a petition requesting the bus pass will be sufficient to move the issue further to the concerned officials.”
Irular welfare activist Rajesh Dheenadayalan said,, “The Villupuram transport corporation must consider to give a free pass to the first graduate.”