Caste row: Construction of houses for SCs stopped in Tamil Nadu's Gudimangalam

TIRUPPUR:  Construction of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme for the SC community at Chinnakannur in Moongil Thozhuvu village in Gudimangalam has been stopped allegedly following objections raised by a section of caste Hindus.

Speaking to TNIE, K Kumar a resident said, "We belong to the Arunthathiyar community and almost all residents in the settlement are daily wage earners. We had requested the government to allocate land and received patta in 2014. But, we didn’t have the financial means to build houses. So, we had to wait to pool money. Local revenue officials informed us that our lands were selected under the PMAY scheme and we are eligible for full subsidy. A team of officials inspected this land and gave approval in September 2021. But the happiness was shortlived, as a section of caste Hindus opposed the construction of houses stating that a burial ground was adjacent to the settlement. But the burial ground is used by SC community members. When we questioned the caste Hindus, they said they didn’t like our presence close to them and abused us."

Block Development Officer (Gudimangalam) Sadiq Basha said, "I don’t comment on casteist and social issues. When caste Hindus opposed the construction, we verified the property documents and found them to be original. We then issued work orders under the PMAY scheme to contractors for the construction of houses to three beneficiaries. But, these individuals have stopped the work. We have informed our higher officials and will lodge police complaint."

But, caste Hindus refuted the claims. K Selvaraj, a village resident, said, "We aren’t opposed to the SC community. There is no political or casteist angle to this issue. We are opposing the construction, as it is close to the burial ground."

An official from the district administration said, "We received the petitions and have directed the Revenue Development Officer (RDO) to inspect the spot and take action."