CHENNAI: Residents of Vallapakkam near Walajabad in Kancheepuram district have threatened to boycott the upcoming Assembly elections if their long-pending demand for land pattas is not met.

Staging a protest with black flags on Friday, the residents alleged that despite repeated appeals, no land pattas have been issued for nearly 29 years. They issued a warning stating that they would surrender their voter identity cards to the Kancheepuram district revenue authorities and abstain from voting if the issue is not resolved before the elections.

According to the residents, in 1997, the government allotted 2.5 cents of land each to around 200 families in the area for residential purposes, assuring that formal pattas for the lands would be issued shortly. Relying on this assurance, the families constructed houses on the allotted land and have been residing there ever since.

However, despite submitting several representations to the district administration and the Revenue Department over the years, no action has been taken so far to grant the pattas.

They gathered in the locality, raising slogans condemning revenue officials for the prolonged delay in issuing pattas and declared that they would not allow representatives of any political party to enter their area seeking votes unless their demand for pattas is fulfilled. The protest concluded peacefully after the demonstration.