Padubidri: 18 families belonging to the Koraga community in Nadsalu in Padubidri village demanded the district administration to provide shelter to them as promised last year. On July 7 2014, the community members who were living in a different place in the Padubidri gram panchayath area, came to this place after the DC assured them housing plots.
Housing is still an issue for the families who were displaced after the district administration promised to provide a site and also construction of houses under government schemes as they are economically poor. These families now live in temporary tents.
Last year on Valmiki Jayanthi, the rehabilitation colony by the Suzlon Company was given the title deeds and Padubidri gram panchayath had also given the denotification letters to them. Many associations, government officers, representatives visited the rehabilitation colony and promised them to provide housing security. But few residents of the Rehabilitation centre have objected the move and put a stay order in the court. After a year neither district administration nor representatives have provided them any help or site and shelter.
The colony where the families have been living has become pathetic and it has become a drainage area causing serious health hazards. The rain water too enters inside the tents. Basic amenities such as drinking water and toilets are lacking. They have built temporary toilets by using old clothes. Even the road leading to the colony becomes flooded. The school kids are scared to travel through this road. Even the poisonous snakes make their daily life harder. There are children, pregnant women and elderly persons in the colony.
Shrimathi one of the colony members, speaking on behalf of the community told the media, “If anything goes wrong in our colony, then district administration would be held responsible. They should solve our problems as promised, at the earliest; otherwise we will camp at the district commissioner’s office”.
Udupi Tahshildar replying to the issue said, “There is objection on the site allotted to these residents. So we have not been able to give any facilities to them. Housing facility would be given under government housing scheme only after the objection filed is cancelled and the issue is sorted out.”
But it is not certain when the issue will be solved and until then the residents in the colony will have to suffer in this colony this monsoon season.
