The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Tribal housing

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Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tribal housing – a grand success

Indira Awaas Yojana brings them civilised life

— PHOTO : SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

HOUSED: Tribal people waiting outside their homes constructed under Indira Awaas Yojana at Mayiladumparai in Theni district.

A year before, it was a hilly terrain full of shrubs and bushes. But today, it is a comfortable habitat for Palliyars, a tribal community in Theni district.

A total of 35 tribal families have been living in individual houses, thanks to the effective implementation of Indira Awaas Yojana.

Earlier, these tribal people had been living inside dense forests and sleeping in caves since independence.

They collected honey and bartered the same for food grains.

They were hardly exposed to social life and missed the opportunities enjoyed by people in the plains.

District administration had identified two places, one at Kadamalaigundu panchayat and another at Muthalamparai panchayat in K.Mayiladumparai block.

The locations were very to close to forests because such a step made them feel that they would not be moved far away from their original habitat.

At the same time, they would get an opportunity to mingle with others.

Thirty five tribal families were provided with house site pattas of two cents each. Twenty two Paliyars were given land pattas in the first site at Kadamalaikundu panchayat and 13 in the second site at Muthalamparai panchayat.

On allotment of site pattas, each tribal family received Rs.37, 000 for construction of a house besides Rs.2,000 each applicable to hilly region.

A team, comprising block development officer, panchayat union engineer, village panchayat president and two volunteers, who wished to take up construction by involving tribal people to the extent possible, has been formed.

Construction plan was prepared right from the stage of levelling the ground and mobilisation of construction materials to engaging skilled and unskilled labourers and the time schedule for execution. DRDA officials assisted block and panchayat functionaries in formulating the plan.

Tribal people were also motivated to involve in construction activities.

They became construction labourers, particularly curing the structure. It was a rare sight to see tribal women holding a hosepipe and spraying water in the early morning.

To prevent soil erosion on sloppy ground, a retention wall was constructed at a cost of Rs.16.25 lakh.

Construction of toilets under total sanitation campaign has encouraged tribal people to follow sanitation practices. With the grand success of this scheme, the district administration went for construction of nine more houses in 2007-08.

The project would certainly improve standard of living and bring them closer to the mainstream of development in the years to come, Collector S.J. Chiru said.

K. Raju

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