COIMBATORE: The anti-corruption and rights group Arappor Iyakkam has called on the Salem district administration to provide alternative land pattas to 18 families displaced during the construction of a government hospital in Edappadi in 2005.
The families, who were living in makeshift huts at the site, were evicted with the assurance of alternative land. “Subsequently, house site pattas were issued to around 130 families, including the original 18 displaced households, at a government function on 27 November 2006.
Along with the pattas, a layout sketch of the proposed residential area was also handed over to the beneficiaries,” said M Radhakrishnan, co-ordinator, Salem unit of Arappor Iyakkam.
However, despite receiving the official pattas, the beneficiaries were unable to occupy the land for a long time due to legal issues or to obtain alternative sites. For nearly 19 years, they have continued to live in roadside shelters and rented accommodation, facing persistent hardship.
Arappor Iyakkam, through Right to Information (RTI) applications, obtained relevant records and made repeated representations to the District Collector and other officials on behalf of the affected families since 6 June 2022.
Despite continued follow-ups, the families have reportedly been made to run from pillar to post, with officials offering only routine assurances without concrete action.
In such a backdrop, the organisation has now urged the district administration to issue fresh pattas to the displaced families, stressing the need to end nearly two decades of uncertainty and suffering. A representation in this regard has also been made to Chief Minister MK Stalin.