TIRUPPUR: Over 200 handloom weavers are waiting to receive patta land, despite an order issued by Madras High Court in 2018 directing the district administration to distribute land. The administration claims that it is yet to identify land worth the value mentioned in the order.
More than 210 handloom weavers approached the court in 2018 seeking a a direction to Tiruppur District Collector to allot them land. The court ruled in their favour, but the order is yet to be implemented.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, S Arumugam (62) a weaver from Gandhi Nagar in Kangeyam, said, "I get orders from traders, who supply yarn to weave sarees and make monthly income of Rs 7,000-10,000. I joined with friends in the weaving community to buy a piece of land, but the cost was too high. So, we applied for free land."
Social activist K Mani said, "The weavers applied for land and were allocated 12.64 acres at Thanthoni village in Madathukulam. Each weaver received 3 cents to build a house. But the happiness didn't last long. Local officials did not divide the land in 1998. Later, the land was allocated to some other beneficiaires."
"Weavers appealed to the district administration, which promised to provide alternate land. But it was not done. We filed a writ petition in Madras High Court in 2018 and the court directed the district administration to allocate land. Despite the order, the district administration is yet to offer land. We are planning to go on a hunger strike to press for the demand," he said.
An official in the district administration said, "We have received the complaint. The value of land mentioned is less than Rs 5 lakh and it is in panchayat limits. We will inform revenue officials and the issue will be resolved at the earliest."