Residents of T. Settiapatti village in Usilampatti staged a protest and attempted to lay siege on the Collectorate premises on Monday alleging encroachment of an empty plot of land in their village.
The residents said the 50-cent-plot of land was being protected and kept vacant by the villagers so as to have the space ready for construction of facilities such as a public toilet complex or a community hall to be carried out. In their petition, they however alleged that a few individuals from Thottappanaickanur village had fraudulently registered parts of the plot in their names and were paying property tax for the same, despite not having houses there.
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The residents of Settiapatti also urged the District Administration to retrieve the encroached land and build a public toilet complex for the benefit of the 180 odd families living in the village.
“We are forced to use public toilets belonging to the nearby village or are forced to openly defecate. The women are often targeted by anti-social elements who pelt stones and pass lewd remarks when we visit toilets in the neighbouring areas,” said S. Parvathy, a resident.
The residents also alleged that many senior citizens had to suffer without proper sanitation facilities.
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Stating their demands, the residents squatted inside the Collectorate premises and raised slogans.
After intervention from the police and Usilampatti MLA P.V Kathiravan, they submitted a petition to the officials of the District Administration asking for their demands to be considered.