Kottayam: Usha Kumari is just one step away from being left on the streets. What worries her most, however, is not homelessness but the safety of her 21-year-old differently-abled daughter.

Usha Kumari (54), a resident of Vishu Vilasam at Panachikkad in Poovanthuruth Plamoodu Junction, and her daughter are in deep crisis after falling into debt worth several lakhs — a debt she says was incurred by her husband without their knowledge. Her husband, P Sivadasan, had taken a loan of ₹51 lakh from a private financial institution by pledging their house. Usha Kumari says he has since abandoned them.

With interest, the debt has now risen to ₹65 lakh. Usha Kumari learned about it only when officials from the financial firm arrived on October 30 to attach the house. The recovery team sealed the ground floor and issued a seven-day notice to vacate the first floor after discovering that her daughter is differently-abled.

Usha Kumari and her daughter have been living on the first floor for years, while the ground floor was rented out. Their single room now has a leaking roof, and Usha climbs a rusted exterior staircase daily, carrying her daughter in her arms.

The mother and daughter survive on the kindness of local residents and voluntary organisations. Usha cannot take up a job as she cannot leave her daughter unattended.
She alleges that the financial firm’s officials arrived without prior notice, broke open the gate, and sealed the door while she was away. In a complaint to the District Legal Services Authority, she has accused the firm of violating procedural norms.