A visually challenged man, who came to the Collectorate on Monday with his mentally ill son to submit a petition to the Collector during the weekly grievance day meet, has appealed to officials to resume monthly assistance to him.
The petitioner S. Abdul Rahman (51) of Pettai in Kadayanallur said he lost 50 per cent of his vision when he met with an accident even as he was working abroad in a bakery and was sent back to his native place by his employer as he suffered partial blindness. On returning home, the condition deteriorated and became fully blind.
“To get the assistance being given for the differently abled persons, I got the identity card being given by the State government. Though I was given the monthly assistance for the first two months, it was stopped abruptly and my repeated attempts to revive the assistance with the help of the officials went in vain. The officials say that I could not be given the assistance anymore as I am living along with my elder brothers in the same house,” Mr. Abdul Rahman said.
His wife Mariam alias Mumtaz said the monthly assistance being given for their mentally ill son Sultan Maideen was not sufficient for running the family and hence, the Collector should recommend to the government to revive the disbursal of the assistance to her husband.
“Since we’re living along with my husband’s elder brothers in the same house, the officials, while citing the reason for stopping the monthly assistance, argue that our family could be looked after by my in-laws, which is not possible as they are also working in private firms for meagre salary,” Ms. Mariam said.
“Remove blockade”
A group of villagers from Padmaneri in Nanguneri taluk said a common passage, which was being used by the villagers for the past several decades to reach the cremation ground, had been blocked by an individual and hence the villagers had to use a circuitous route to reach the cremation ground and to fetch drinking water from the well. Hence, the Collector should instruct the revenue officials to remove the blockade on the common passage, they said.
“Do justice”
Another group of villagers from Dheen Nagar near Narasinganallur near here said an individual from Pudupettai here, who was claiming to be the rightful owner of a land measuring about an acre, was threatening to evict them from their 25-year-old hamlet.
“Even as around 35 families have been living in this place for the past 25 years, this individual, who is terming us as encroachers, is attempting to evict us. Hence, the officials should intervene to do justice,” said S. Duraipandian, one of the petitioners.
