Over 50 residents held for opposing allocation of land to displaced people

More than 50 residents, including women, of Thimmampettai village were arrested for staging a road roko on Vaniyambadi – Kuppam (A.P) Main Road  in Tirupattur  on Thursday. They protested against the allocation of government land in the village for displaced families from other areas by the district administration.

Police said  that around 10.30 a.m., a large group of residents blocked the stretch near the bus terminus in the village against the plan to settle displaced families from villages near Vaniyambadi town in Thimmampettai village. “Available government land in Thimmampettai village is less. Such scarce resources should be used for improving infrastructure facilities like schools, health centres in the village that will benefit residents,” said G. Bakkiya, a resident.

Based on an alert, a team of revenue officials and a police team led by K. Sudhakar, Tasildar, Vaniyambadi, and S. Anandan, Inspector, Vaniyambadi Town police, respectively, pacified the agitated residents. As residents refused to disperse peacefully, they were arrested by the police. Residents were detained in a marriage hall in the area. “Resettlement of displaced families is a government policy, which has to be implemented. Agitated residents should understand and co-operate with government authorities,” Mr. Sudhakar told The Hindu.

Residents said that Thimmampettai village, a border village on Tamil Nadu – Andhra Pradesh, has more than 1,500 families, who are mostly dependent on farming, cattle rearing and poultry farming.

Farmers said that the government land in the village is used for grazing cattle  to supplement their income from agriculture. These open plots also serve to store excess rainwater during monsoon thereby preventing inundation of houses and stretches in the village.

Revenue officials said that around 30 displaced families, who were encroaching water catchment areas in Vaniyambadi town and along Palar river, will be resettled in government land in the affected village to sustain their livelihood.

As per norms, each displaced family, on an average, will be eligible for at least two cents of land (870 sq.ft.), provided they do not have any property in their names.

At Thimmampettai village, around 15 acres of government land within the Samathuvapuram area has been identified. 

Revenue officials said that of total 15 acres, three acres have been identified to construct dwellings for displaced families in the village. However, residents objected to it as the village should have a sizable government land for public utilities that will be built in future for locals.