Residents stage sit-in protest for ‘patta’; officials say it is not possible as they live in ‘neervazhi poramboke’ land

Residents of Thangamman Temple Street in Tirunelveli demand 'patta' for land, staging sit-in protest due to lack of basic amenities.

Demanding ‘patta’ for the land on which they have built their houses, residents of Thangamman Temple Street in Pettai and adjoining MGR Nagar staged a sit-in protest in their colony on Thursday.

The protesters said they had been living in MGR Nagar under Maanur union and adjoining Thangamman Temple Street under ward 18 of Tirunelveli Corporation for the past 56 years and they had been paying tax to the local bodies for the land on which they had built their houses. However, their repeated pleas to the Department of Revenue for issuing ‘patta’ to them were yet to evoke any positive response from the official machinery. Moreover, no basic amenities had been created in Thangamman Temple Street, they alleged.

 “Most of the Arunthathiyars living in Thangamman Temple Street are sanitary workers, who served tirelessly and fearlessly during COVID-19 outbreak even while all others remained indoors. However, our appeals for ‘patta’ are being trashed by the official machinery. Hence, we did not send our children to the school and hoisted black flags in our houses,” they said.

 Since people from other castes are also living in this area without ‘patta,’ they also joined the agitation organised on Thangamman Temple premises. They also did not send their children to the school. Breakfast and lunch were prepared at the protest venue and served to the protestors.

 The agitators said they would boycott the upcoming Parliamentary election if their appeal for ‘patta’ was not honoured by the Tamil Nadu government.

Officials attached to the Department of Revenue said these people are living in MGR Nagar Punaivengappankulam ‘poramboke’ land and hence ‘patta’ could not be given to them as per the directions of the Madras High Court.

 “Apart from Arunthathiyar families, people belonging to other communities are also living there. Since the Madras High Court has made it clear in a judgment that ‘patta’ should not be given for the ‘neervazhi poramboke’ lands, their plea could not be entertained,” clarified the officials, who explained it to the protestors and urged them to give up the agitation. However, the protestors continued their agitation till evening.