Collector seeks additional housing for Irula tribals in Tiruvannamalai

TIRUVANNAMALAI: A revelation that a young Irula couple has made their home in a public toilet for over two years near Vandavasi in Tiruvannamalai district resulted in Collector D Baskara Pandian seeking additional housing for the community.

The Irula couple, Dinakaran and Ponniammal lived in the Irula Colony at Saukkai village near Vandavasi where Dinakaran eked out a living working in a brick kiln and occasionally serving to cut firewood.

Some years ago, when the mud house of an Irula tribal was destroyed he sought the permission of the panchayat president to live in the unused public toilet. Taking this as a precedent, Dinakaran also moved into another portion of the same toilet after his hut also got destroyed in rains two years ago. As the news spread, revenue and panchayat officials visited the spot and promised to provide them a house within a month. However, the issue has also raised questions as to why the public toilet constructed with government funds remained unused, while the Irula community continued to practise open defecation.

“Awareness to use the constructed community toilet will be spread among the tribals while I have also sought additional tribal housing from the government for such deserving cases,” said the Collector.

Asked about Dinakaran, he said, “For the time being we have housed him in the panchayat office. Though rules state that the beneficiary has to undertake construction in practice, it does not work as most receive funds and but rarely to construct their house.”