THOOTHUKUDI: As the district administration issued a notice to cancel the free patta given to the Scheduled Caste people from Mapilaiyoorani panchayat in 1992, stating that it was not inhabited yet, the beneficiaries have strongly objected to it.
Sources said that the district administration on December 15, 1992, had distributed two cents of patta land to 174 underprivileged scheduled caste people in an area of 1.91 hectares.
As per an A1 notice issued recently by the special tasildar of the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department, members of the Land Disposal Wing of Revenue and Disaster Management had found that the area was not inhabited during an inspection that was held on January 1, 2021. Hence, they decided to cancel the patta, as per the conditions, which mandated that houses must be constructed within three years after receiving the patta.
The beneficiaries told TNIE that they had submitted their objections to this notice within 15 days as requested, but the district administration had rejected them.
They added that back then in 1992, this area was extremely remote and unfavourable to settle down, as there were no roads, water supply, street lights, or electricity. However, as few people had initially set up huts, they had to decamp due to flooding, lack of amenities, and safety issues.
A woman beneficiary living in a 3-cent Anthoniyarpuram told TNIE that though a A1 notice was not served to her, even after she submitted a written objection, the district administration had rejected her petition.
Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) district organiser Ajitha Agnel, who took up the matter with the officials, said that the state government must not cancel the patta when they are eligible.
She also said that she suspects collusion of politicians on the move to cancel the patta without proper intimation, as the land is likely to come under the Thoothukudi corporation limit
Thoothukudi sub-collector M Prabu told TNIE that the assigned patta stands cancelled when the beneficiary fails to construct a house within three years. The land plots will be reassigned to the other Adi Dravidar people. However, we will give another opportunity to the same beneficiaries to apply for the assigned patta. So far, 80 beneficiaries out of 174 have objected to the decision, and that is under inquiry. Eligible people will be prioritised for the patta again.”
