The residents of Sathram Colony in the heart of the city who have been asked to vacate the premises by the end of the month have decided to oppose the Kozhikode Corporation’s move. The residents claim that their families have been living in the colony for generations and had all their identification documents based on the address.
The Corporation has asked 17 families in Sathram Colony to move out as the buildings are to be demolished soon. The Sathram Colony and a similar one at Nadakkavu house the staff quarters of the Corporation where some of the contingent workers reside with their families. Those on the rolls of the Corporation will be provided quarters temporarily at the Kalluthankadavu apartment complex while those not on the Corporation rolls need to move out.
“People who retire from service should vacate the quarters provided by the Corporation. But here, they have been living for decades as the Corporation did not care to question them. But now it is high time that we provided better living quarters to our staff as this one is in a dilapidated condition and hence it is being demolished,” said Corporation Secretary Binu Francis. The Corporation is building a commercial complex-cum-quarters at Nadakkavu to accommodate all staff members who are being shifted to Kalluthankadavu now.
The residents who have received the notice from the Corporation to vacate the quarters claim that the move is inhumane. “We are poor people who do menial jobs. We cannot find another accommodation at such short notice. This is where we have been living for generations,” said Radhamani, a resident. At Sathram Colony, there are 28 houses in which 32 families reside.
