ARIYALUR: A man here whose late father participated in the country’s freedom struggle and is said to have even been jailed abroad for it has urged the State government to allocate him a house or a parcel of land at least on compassionate grounds.
Deenadayalan (67), who points out his late father Ramasamy to have been part of the country’s Independence movement, resides in a rented house at Sendurai in the district. “In 1942, Ramasamy sold two of his houses to join the freedom struggle and took the money and handed it over to Subhas Chandra Bose. He then joined the Indian National Army. During the war against the British, he was jailed abroad,”
Deenadayalan said. After Ramasamy passed away in 1978 due to ill health, his wife Jaggubhai was granted a pension by the State government. Struggling to make ends meet with it, Deenadayalan said he and his mother submitted several petitions with the District Collectorate, the RDO and the chief minister’s special cell seeking free housing patta but in vain. Jaggubhai passed away in February 2018.
Having submitted another petition for free patta with the Collectorate on December 26, Deenadayalan said, "With the pension, I can only pay my house rent. I was able to meet my needs, including food, while working as a painter. I, however, now have a spinal cord problem due to which I’m not able to work properly. As a result, I do not have enough income to meet my daily needs."
"My parents sought for a free patta but their pleas fell on deaf ears. I did not get married so that I could support and take care of my mother. I am now struggling alone. If the government grants a free patta or a unit in the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board, it will help me," he added. When contacted, Udayarpalayam RDO S Parimalam expressed ignorance on Deenadayalan’s request and promised action.