Elderly Kottayam couple struggles in makeshift shelter; no electricity, no welfare support
Destitute elderly couple Malayil Raveendran and his visually impaired, bedridden wife Ramani live in an unstable, unlit Kooroppada shelter. Misclassified under the 'APL' category and lacking transferred documents, they desperately need urgent administrative intervention.
Destitute elderly couple Malayil Raveendran and his visually impaired, bedridden wife Ramani live in an unstable, unlit Kooroppada shelter. Misclassified under the 'APL' category and lacking transferred documents, they desperately need urgent administrative intervention.
Destitute elderly couple Malayil Raveendran and his visually impaired, bedridden wife Ramani live in an unstable, unlit Kooroppada shelter. Misclassified under the 'APL' category and lacking transferred documents, they desperately need urgent administrative intervention.
Pampady: In Ward 11 of Kooroppada panchayat, an elderly couple is living in precarious conditions inside a makeshift shelter made of asbestos sheets and a tarpaulin roof, devoid of electricity and basic welfare benefits.
Malayil Raveendran (75) and his wife, Ramani (67), face severe distress as Ramani, who is visually impaired, has been bedridden for the past month due to a degenerative bone disease in her legs. Raveendran, formerly a carpenter and the family's sole earner, has been forced to stop working to serve as her primary caregiver, handling both her medical needs and daily chores. With no children or relatives to assist them, the couple has no steady source of income.
Their living quarters consist of four asbestos sheets erected on bare ground, sheltered by a tarpaulin sheet on a three-cent plot provided by Ramani’s mother. The structure is structurally unstable and at risk of collapse. While a toilet facility exists on the plot, it remains exposed because the couple cannot afford materials to enclose it.
The dwelling has no power grid connection. Their only source of light is a single LED bulb powered by a two-wheeler battery, donated by an acquaintance. When the light was inadvertently left on during a recent hospital visit, the battery drained completely, leaving the couple in darkness overnight. Raveendran had to walk 2.5 kilometres to a workshop the following day to recharge the unit at a cost of ₹40.
Administrative hurdles have further compounded their difficulties. Despite their extreme poverty, official records list the couple under the Above Poverty Line (APL) category. Because their ration card and documentation remain tied to Changanassery, where they resided before relocating to Kothala 10 years ago, they are ineligible for local welfare schemes in Kooroppada panchayat. They hold only Aadhaar cards and do not receive the state old-age pension.
While volunteers from Seva Bharati recently began providing them with food and basic medications, local residents maintain that the couple urgently requires formal administrative intervention and secure housing.