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Living in a thatched hut on her restored land at Sengodi (Red flag) village near Kothattai in Cuddalore district, P. Chandrakala, an Irula woman, dreamed of owning a house some day. She had been living in a makeshift house with her family for more than 20 years. When Chandrakala and a few other families from the Irula community were allotted house site pattas by the State government under a housing scheme in 2014, she was still far from realising her dream. The families had been fighting for their alienated land (1.25 acres) after neighbours from a most backward class community allegedly usurped it, in blatant violation of all laws. Their plight came to light only during the COVID-19 pandemic, when members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) visited Sengodi village (then known as Vaickalmedu) to distribute relief materials. After a sustained struggle, the families reclaimed their land and built houses on it. Though Sengodi village has over 11 Irula families, only four, including Chandrakala’s, have built houses on their reclaimed land. The remaining families continue to be in the single-minded pursuit of the allotment of house site pattas. Long struggle According to S.G. Ramesh Babu, CPI(M) State committee member: “The struggle, which led to the housing initiative, began in 2021. The land was allotted in 2000. As many as seven families were allotted houses under the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) by the then district administration in 2014. Though the Irula families were allotted three cents of land each, the houses were built on the adjacent side of a canal classified as eri poramboke instead of the land originally earmarked for them. But the families continue to suffer for no fault of theirs.” “The seven houses, built on eri poramboke, are in a dilapidated condition, posing a threat to the families. The root cause of the problem was the construction of houses on this land. When the CPI(M) approached the government with a proposal for the construction of houses for the 11 families, we encountered opposition,” Mr. Ramesh Babu said. Officials claimed that the seven families had already been allotted houses under the IAY scheme and would not be eligible. The land that was originally allotted to them was also usurped by their neighbours. The families, along with the CPI (M), waged a long, drawn-out struggle to reclaim their land, which they eventually succeeded in doing after sustained protests. A wait ahead The proposal for housing was sanctioned by then Project Director of District Rural Development Agency in March 2022. Four families have now built their own houses under the Comprehensive Tribal Development Programme (CTDP), while the rest continue to wait for the realisation of their dream. A typical house unit costs ₹4.62 lakh and is around 300 sq.ft. Four families have now moved into their houses. The inauguration was held on June 22, 2025. Ranjitha and Durga, who work with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), thought that they would spend the rest of their lives in the thatched hut on their land. “It is a dream come true. Sengodi village has now 25 families and most of them lead a hand-to-mouth existence doing odd jobs to eke out their livelihood. We only hope that the rest of the seven families also get house sites and pattas,” Ms. Ranjitha said. According to Mr. Ramesh Babu, Cuddalore district has many such cases, including affordable housing and issues related to community certificates, to act upon. However, authorities are delaying the process. The administration should immediately intervene and ensure that their demands are met.
