THOOTHUKUDI: A 75-year-old woman who is the daughter of freedom fighter Shanmugam Chettiar on Monday demanded the district administration to provide her with a house and a loan for her son to run a petty shop in the district.
According to sources, the elderly woman arrived at the Thoothukudi collectorate, held a copper plate that belonged to her father close to her chest, and appealed to the state government to help them. "Indra, wife of Muthukrishnan, has been living in a small rented house at Thalamuthunagar along with her disabled son Balasundara Ganesan (40). Muthukrishnan, who was mentally ill, left them around 20 years ago and has not returned since. Ganesan, who manages life by selling gunny bags, has two children. But his wife abandoned him due to acute poverty," sources said.
Speaking to TNIE, Indra said her father was imprisoned by the Britishers for six months at the Alipore prison and another term of one year at the Thanjavur prison, for his participation in the Quit India Movement and subsequent freedom struggles. However, the state did not provide any monetary assistance or honours for his legal heirs after his death, she alleged.
With her eyes welled up, Indra said she had to beg on the roadside to feed themselves. "I have petitioned on various occasions over the past 20 years, however, the authorities have not considered her petitions. My son completed Class 10. However, he could not find a job due to his partial disability. Now his wife has also deserted him," she rued.
Ganesan said if the banks had provided him with loans to open a petty shop, he could have led a life with his wife and taken care of his mother as well. However, the banks denied loans demanding collateral security, he said and accused the state government and the banks of causing the plight of his family.
Indra appealed to the district administration and the state government to provide them with a house and a loan facility for her son to open a petty shop so that they could lead a decent life.