CHENNAI: The 40-year-wait of 12 Adi Andhra (Scheduled Caste) families of permanent sanitary workers, employed by Sriperumbudur municipality, for land title documents (patta) is continuing despite recent directives from Chief Minister MK Stalin’s office (CMO) and the National Commission of Scheduled Caste (NCSC) to the Kancheepuram district administration.
The lack of action is despite the local body’s elected council passing a resolution twice - once in 2004 and later in 2013 - giving the families ownership of three cents of land in the Illaneer Kulam locality.
A day after TNIE highlighted their predicament, the chief minister’s office on July 18 sent a directive to the additional chief secretary of the revenue and disaster management department for action based on a representation by the activist group Aran.
P Amudha also forwarded the communique to the Kancheepuram collector on August 5, directing an enquiry and suitable action. Parallelly, the collector Kalaiselvi Mohan, on August 12, informed the NCSC that a proposal was sent to the district committee by the Sriperumbudur tahsildar for special patta regularisation. “After approval from the district committee, the pattas will soon be given to them,” the letter stated.
However, as on date, the 12 families have no clarity regarding the resolution and are frustrated with the red tape. They recently submitted a petition with the Sriperumbudur MLA and TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai, who promptly forwarded it to the collector. A similar representation was also submitted in the office of the commissioner of Adi Dravidar Welfare.
Aran also submitted a rejoinder to the NCSC and the CM’s office, highlighting the lack of concrete updates and resolution in the issue.
Kalaiselvi Mohan told TNIE that despite resolutions by the local body, the final decision on issuing the land titles will be taken by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department which is the owner of the land, adding that they are moving positively on it.
“The families are being given all municipal facilities. There is no impediment to their regular activities and nobody can evict them,” the collector said.