32 yrs on, 8 SC families struggle to access allotted land

Ranipet: In Kil Minnal hamlet of Pooththakku village panchayat in Ranipet district eight SC families are at their wits end not knowing what to do as their prolonged fight for the last 32 years to claim the land allotted to them by the government has not borne fruit till date.

The families were allotted 2 acres in survey number 331 and another 10 cents in survey number 329/1. What transpired was “without their knowledge the land was usurped in their name and it changed hands at least 8 times. It is now with a private party who has raised a compound wall and fixed a gate which is locked preventing their ingress to the land,” said social activist M Rajbabu who is now trying to help them to get it back.

The land is located in front of CMC’s new Rs 1,200 crore campus at Kannigapuram on the Vellore–Chennai national highway near Ratnagiri, 12 km from the town and hence has accrued in value due to the hospital coming up there. Also the location is on Vellore-Ranipet district border. All beneficiaries are landless agricultural labourers and despite the government providing them land were unable to enter it.

M Masilamani, one of the beneficiaries said, “We have been fighting for years to get what the government allotted to us under the Land Reforms Act. Though officials promise to help us whenever we approach them, there has been no positive results.” C Chandrasekaran, another beneficiary said, “One generation could never enjoy the benefit of government largesse due to our being unable to enter the land. We hope that at least our children will be able to enter and enjoy the land.”

Collector Baskara Pandian when asked about this said, “I will initiate action to reclaim the usurped land immediately.”