Irked over the official machinery’s denial to give them community certificates approving them as ‘Scheduled Tribes’, the Kattu Naicken community people submitted petition to Collector K. Senthil Raj on Monday.
Led by CPI (M)’s Thoothukudi rural district secretary P. Raja, people belonging to Kattu Naicken community and their children submitted the petition to the Collector. They said Kattu Naicken community people, who are living in large number in Anna Nagar, Mullakkaadu, Muthiahpuram, Thalamuthu Nagar, Pudukkottai, Eral, Sawyerpuram, Kayathar, Kadambur, Kazhugumalai, Ottapidaaram, Puthiyamputhur, Vilaathikulam, Srivaikundam and Sattankulam, were being denied the community certificate recognising them as ‘Scheduled Tribe’.
Even though the Kattu Naicken community had applied with all necessary documents to prove their claim, the officials were rejecting their applications, leaving their children in the lurch.
“While Hindu Kattu Naicken certificate has been given to our people in Tiruchendur, Kovilpatti and Ettaiyapuram areas, applications from Thoothukudi and a few more taluks are being rejected without any acceptable reason. Since our children do not have community certificates, they cannot be admitted in the schools and the colleges as they are denied reservation. Moreover, they cannot apply for government jobs. Besides taking due legal action against the officials who rejected our applications for community certificates, the Collector should instruct schools and colleges to admit our children even though they have not submitted the community certificate,” said the petitioners.
‘Withdraw tax’
Condemning the cess being levied on maize, sorghum, pearl millet, black gram and green gram, which causes a huge loss to the farmers, the tax should be withdrawn, said the farmers affiliated to Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam.
‘Take action’
A group of people affiliated to Terespuram Jamaath, led by its president Fakir Maideen, submitted a petition seeking action against a person, who posed as a police officer in Singapore, had married a few women from Tamil Nadu, including a woman from Thoothukudi, and sent them back to India after taking their jewels.
“He has divorced these women before sending them back to India and taken their jewels, worth several lakhs of rupees. Hence, due action should be taken against him,” Mr. Fakir Maideen said.
‘Remove toll plaza’
Siva Bharatha Hindu Makkal Katchi president N. Balasubramanian submitted a petition seeking removal of toll plaza on the Thoothukudi – Palayamkottai highway. “Since this busy highway, being used by over a lakh vehicles every day, is full of potholes and has not been maintained properly, the toll plaza at Vaagaikulam should be removed,” Mr. Balasubramanian said.
‘Release water’
Led by Tamil Nadu Vivasaayigal Sangam’s district secretary P. Puviraj, members of the association submitted petition seeking release of 1,000 cusecs of water in Srivaikundam Vadakaal for 20 days to feed water to Peikulam and three more irrigation tanks in this region to standing paddy and other crops while stopping water supply to the factories, all getting water under 20 million gallon per day programme.
‘‘Open Sterlite’
Villagers from Meelavittaan, Madaththur, Pudur Pandiapuram, Pandaarampatti, Sankaraperi, Vadakku Silukkanpatti, Therkku Silukkanpatti, Kaayaloorani, Therkku Veerapandiapuram, Sillanaththam, Rajavinkovil, Samainaththam, Kumareddiyarpuram, Therkku Veerapandiapuram, Naduvaikurichi and Kumaragiri submitted a petition seeking early reopening of Sterlite Copper unit. Since the closure of the copper manufacturing unit after the protest had left their children unemployed, besides hampering the development of their villages through the development activities funded by Sterlite Copper, the factory should be opened again, they said.
