An advocate’s act of philanthropy to distribute his ancestral property among 20 underprivileged people has won many hearts, even across the political spectrum.
Forty two-year-old Niyaz Bharathy, a practising advocate and former Youth Congress State general secretary, has donated 4 cents of land each to the benefactors, none of who owned land or house of their own.
Beneficiaries
They include those who suffered from various ailments, widows and differently abled people, and those who have figured in the beneficiary lists of Chithara and Mankode villages in Kollam for housing schemes.
While he has always dedicated himself to social service, Mr. Bharathy was moved by the plight of an aged woman and her four-year-old differently abled grandson in Attingal. “They were running from pillar to post, knocking on many doors in a bid to register themselves in schemes meant for the landless. There were none to care for them. This chance encounter inspired me to do my bit to extend a helping hand for the needy. As Mahatma Gandhi had said, we must strive to be the change we wish to see in the world,” he said.
After identifying 20 people from among thousand landless people, he found with the assistance of the Chithara and Mankode village offices, he registered the plots in their names with certain clauses including one that made it impossible to transfer the land for 15 years.
He has already undertaken the preliminary activities including levelling the land in the housing colony he named Gandhigram. He hopes to complete the project within two years with the assistance of sponsors.
Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala will formally launch the project later this month. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Mullappally Ramachandran will hand over the financial assistance for the construction of one of the houses on the occasion.
Appreciation
The endeavour has come up for appreciation by the CPI(M)-ruled Chithara grama panchayat. Panchayat president Sujitha Kailas is all praise for such initiatives, which brought solace to underprivileged families. “All of the 20 recipients have been in dire straits, awaiting benefits under various schemes for long. While local bodies were constrained to distribute benefits on the basis of priority lists, the noble deeds of people like Mr. Bharathy would help our cause,” she said.
