Living on the edge: Tribal family in Kozhikode struggles in leaking shanty

Chakkittapara: A tiny, makeshift shanty, patched together with leaking plastic sheets and a bare soil floor, tells the story of a family living on the edge of survival. With no toilet and drinking water drawn through a pipe from a nearby hill, this is the stark reality of a family that lives at Muthukad Palluruthymukku Chakkittapara in Ward 5 of the Panchayat.

For the past seven years, Olikkal Sharada (52), a tribal woman who suffers from mental health issues, and her 78-year-old husband Stephen have been living in this shanty. Inside this fragile shanty, the couple carries out every part of daily life, from cooking their meals to spending their nights.

The property, in which their shanty stands, was originally allotted to another tribal family. Due to an error on Sharada’s ration card, which incorrectly shows that the shanty has a power connection, the family is not receiving kerosene as part of their ration. Sarada says that despite repeated complaints to the Supply Office, no action has been taken so far.

Sharada has been undergoing treatment for mental illness for the past ten years, and Stephen is also suffering from health issues. The couple’s only source of income is a social security pension from the government. Their struggles are compounded by wild pigs and other hazards in the area.

Though the family was originally allotted one acre of land on Seethappara Hill, they had to vacate a temporary shed there within a day due to wild animals and unsuitable living conditions. Since then, they have moved through nine different shanties, including one on a puramboke land, before settling in their current location at Palluruthymukku. Their only daughter, a Higher Secondary student, now stays at a Children’s Home in Kozhikode.

Panchayat President K Sunil, however, maintains that the family has been reluctant to sign an agreement despite being offered land under the Life Mission Housing scheme. Although a separate house was arranged for them, the family refused to relocate, he says.

The Perambra Tribal Extension Officer too held that the family had already been allotted Rs. 6 lakh under the Life Mission project. But efforts to move them to a temporary shelter failed due to their objections. The official added that the family could be allotted a new property under the Tribal Rehabilitation Programme only if a certificate confirms that the originally allotted one-acre land is uninhabitable.

Sharada demands that her family be rehabilitated on any one of the lands previously allotted to tribal community members in Muthukad, which are currently lying vacant. She fears that relocating without receiving land in advance would leave them landless.