Patta in hand, hundreds of differently abled in Tamil Nadu await house sites even after 18 months

CHENNAI: "Build a house or put up a thatched hut within 12 months from the date of receiving the free house-site patta," read one of the conditions mentioned in the government document handed over to Sheikh Mohammed, a differently abled, of Tenkasi's Kadayanallur village on March 14 last year. But Mohammed hasn't been able to do either as authorities have not identified the site to date.

Mohammed's is not the only case. Hundreds of persons with disabilities (PwDs) who received free house-site pattas under the Revenue and Disaster Management Department's special scheme one and a half years ago could not take possession to date, thanks to official apathy. The irony is the government has failed to act in 18 months even as it gave beneficiaries only 12 months to set up houses after getting patta. "If the beneficiary fails to put up a thatched hut or house within 12 months, the patta will become invalid," said an official.

"Without doing a background check and proper study of the sites, the officials handed over the patta to us. Even after 18 months, we are yet to get possession of the site," said Mohammed, who along with 22 others is still waiting for the site to be identified and demarcated for them. Listing out 28 persons in Kadayam taluk and five in Sankarankoil taluk in Tenkasi district who were facing similar problems, he pointed out that the officials even asked 18 beneficiaries in Sengottai taluk to surrender their pattas following strong protests from the locals.

"The officials had cancelled the pattas issued to the locals for not complying with the conditions and reissued the same to us. We were unaware of it until we went there to see the site. The locals entered into a heated argument with the officials and also warned us against returning to the village. So, we requested an alternative site," M Subramanian of Sengottai said. The wait has continued for Subramanian and fellow beneficiaries for over a year now.

After repeated pleas and advocacy to include PwDs in the list of weaker sections to benefit under the government's special scheme, the government heeded by issuing an order on November 11, 2022, to include PwDs," said V Natarajan, who received a house patta along with 20 others in Arambakkam village near Kundrathur in Kancheepuram district. But their happiness was short-lived as they were allocated sites in disputed sites and inaccessible areas with no approach roads. "The locals are protesting the allocation of the house sites to outsiders, while a few showed land registration documents for the same sites," said Natarajan, an advocate, and noted they have been running from pillar to post for the land for over a year now.

The story is no different for beneficiaries of the scheme in several other districts, said Annamalai of the December 3 Movement. He, along with 67 others, had received the pattas in Villupuram district, but the officials earmarked the site for only six of them. "We have petitioned the district collector, senior officials, and ministers, but in vain. Whenever we announce a protest, the officials come with an excuse and buy time," he said.

Repeated attempts to reach a senior official of the department for response ended in vain.