Sri Lankan refugee families in Tirunelveli stage protest

Members belonging to 10 Sri Lankan refugee families living in Kalaignar Colony staged a dharna on the Collectorate premises on Sunday evening after the pattas of their lands were reportedly cancelled recently.

The protesting refugees said 34 Sri Lankan refugee families living in Kalaignar Colony near Gangaikondan received free house sites for which pattas were given following the efforts taken by former Tirunelveli MLA Nainar Nagenthran in 2014. While a few of them had constructed houses under the Chief Minister’s Green House Scheme, the others might get the freebie soon.

“Even as the economically weaker beneficiaries are waiting for the Green House, the pattas for the free land were cancelled on Saturday based on false complaints given by a few people. If our pattas are not renewed and given to us, we’ve decided to start living on the Collectorate premises,” said K. Sudha, one of the protestors.

After Palayamkottai Tahsildar Balasubramanian met the protesting families and assured them that the issue would be taken up with the Collector to find an amicable solution, the protestors gave up the agitation around 6.30 p.m. and left the Collectorate.

-The Hindu
-Agencies