A 15-member team led by Green Movement general secretary T.V. Rajan and human rights activist P.A. Pouran visited the Bhoothivazhi tribal hamlet in Agali grama panchayat of Attappady on Monday and recorded the woes of the residents living in unsafe concrete houses.
The seven tribal families of the Bhoothivazhi hamlet are victims of an alleged financial fraud by a construction contractor with political influence. The contractor, P.M. Basheer, has allegedly swindled the tribal families of ₹13.62 lakh given by the government for housing.
Leaking houses
The team found the houses leaking in the summer rain. The team members said that the concrete houses were badly constructed without using the required quantity of cement and steel. They said the ceiling was so unsafe that the residents could not even use a fan.
The Crime Branch had filed three cheating cases against Mr. Basheer, who is a standing committee chairperson in the Nilambur municipal council. Abdul Gafoor from Nilambur and Zakir from Attappady are the co-accused in the cases filed by tribal victims Rangi, Reshi, Kalamani, Pappal, Kalikadan, Santhi and Chelli.
Mr. Basheer and Mr. Gafoor were the contractors for the construction of houses for the people of Bhoothivazhi under the Additional Tribal Sub Plan (ATSP) scheme in 2015-16. He was helped by Mr. Zakir, who was then a member of the Agali panchayat.
The contractors collected ₹3.82 lakh from each tribal family without completing the house work. The tribespeople protested as the toilet, flooring and several other work of the houses had not been completed. Soon the houses developed leakage.
When the government sanctioned ₹1.28 lakh more under its housing scheme for each family for improving the basic facilities, Mr. Basheer allegedly reached the hamlet and offered them false promises. He reportedly took them to the State Bank of India branch at Agali and made each of them transfer the money to his account.
On learning that they had been cheated, the tribal families approached the police. The legal proceedings against the contractors are on. Two of the seven victims, Pappal and Kalikadan, died in the meantime.
Mr. Pouran and Mr. Rajan said that they would support the tribal families in their fight for justice.
