CPI seeks pattas for long-term settlements

CHENNAI: CPI state secretary M Veerapandian on Tuesday urged the State government to grant pattas to people who have lived in their settlements and hill areas for decades.

Addressing media at a protest by residents of temple and non-temple lands and hill areas, he said people who had lived in their homes for 80 to 100 years should not be denied ownership rights or evicted. He urged the government to talk with the protesters and meet their demands.

Veerapandian also called for a formal government order to drop the Pattinapakkam project, citing fishing communities' concerns. He urged the government to honour its assurance that it would not evict hill residents and to defend their interests through legal means.

On whether repeated protests would yield results, he said constitutional rights had been secured through struggles, not the goodwill of those in power. “This is a struggle for survival. If the protesters do not succeed today, they will succeed tomorrow,” he said.

Condemning the reported midnight arrest of an NTK woman candidate for expressing her views, Veerapandian said the government should not intimidate those holding opposing opinions. He stressed that legal action must follow due process and that constitutional freedoms and the rule of law must prevail.

On the escape of 17 prisoners from a prison in Devakottai, he called for tighter security for serious offenders but urged prison authorities to treat inmates convicted of minor offences with compassion.

Veerapandian also opposed the proposed hike in Aavin milk product prices, calling on the government to keep essential commodities affordable. He said the CPI would continue to protest price increases that affect the public.