30 years on, Patta fight continues

DHARMAPURI: To get pattas for houses allotted 30 years ago by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) at Valluvar Nagar near Avvaivali here, around 150-odd residents are now planning to stage fast in front of the Collectorate.According to the TNHB Residents’ Welfare Association office bearers M V Sankaran, P Rajarathinam and E Theerthagiri, the government employees and private parties had purchased the houses by remitting the amount fixed by the TNHB within the stipulated time. At that time, the TNHB had handed over the pakka pattas to several clients who bought houses in the north of Avvaivali. But when the rest of the buyers approached the TNHB for patta transfer, they were directed to the revenue department. The revenue department, in turn, said the TNHB had constructed houses on poromboke land and there was no question of issue of pattas, the office bearers detailed.They claimed that the affected people have been making several representations to the Chief Minister’s Special Cell, district administration and the TNHB since 2000, but no action was taken to solve the poromboke issue and give them pattas.Even after the Chief Minister’s Special Patta Transfer Programme was launched by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on August 1, the applications for pattas had been pending with the revenue department. As their pleas have not fetched positive results, the affected residents now plan to observe a fast in front of Collectorate seeking patta transfer.