Kongu Velala Gounder Peravai's Protest
Activists of the Kongu Velala Gounder Peravai staging a demonstration in the city on Tuesday The Kongu Velala Gounder Peravai on Tuesday staged a demonstration protesting against the move of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) to acquire agricultural and residential lands in and around Coimbatore. The demonstrators pointed out that the acquisition proposal was mooted 22 years ago and the TNHB never pursued the proposals thereafter.
The demonstration was led by District Agriculture Secretary and Chairman of the Struggle Committee, R. Sivasamy. The demonstrators pointed out that the acquisition proposal was mooted 22 years ago and the TNHB never pursued the proposals thereafter. After two decades, the TNHB was “spelling disaster to the lives of the agriculturists and middle income group families by reviving its plans for acquiring the lands”, the demonstrators said.
In addition, the TNHB even after several was yet to hand over the sale deeds to those who had purchased houses despite having completed payment of the monthly instalments to the house. Having failed to resolve litigations relating to acquisitions, the TNHB was “covering up its administrative lapses” that led to escalation in cost of houses. The board was instead trying to pass on the financial burden on the allottees by levying interest, penal interest and accrued interest.
To aggravate the sufferings of the land owners, the board had even imposed a blanket ban on registration, re-registration of lands, provision of electricity and water supply lines by writing to the departments concerned. This had resulted in mental agony for the house, land owners with uncertainty looming large. The demonstration was to seek the attention of the Government for mitigating the sufferings of the people at the hands of the TNHB, the demonstrators said.
