THOOTHUKUDI: Dejected over alleged denial of a free-of-cost three-wheeler, a 44-year-old man with disability attempted self-immolation by pouring a can of kerosene upon himself at Kovilpatti Taluk Office on Wednesday. Police, along with people at the office, thwarted the suicide attempt. M Padmasankar (44) of VOC Nagar in Kovilpatti, alleged that the officials in the district administration have turned a deaf year to his repeated petitions for the past two years.
Padmasankar, father of two daughters, told reporters that both his legs were disabled due to an illness a few years ago, before which he had worked as a daily labourer. He was unable to get a job post-illness and hiring a caretaker was unaffordable, he said. In 2018, he said, he had petitioned the collector seeking a three-wheeler so that he could work again.
He alleged that his request was not considered, despite repeated petitions to the tahsildar. Later, Kovilpatti Tahsildar Manikandan assured Padmasankar of immediate action and also allot him a subsidised house under the Chief Minister’s Solar Powered Green House Scheme.