COIMBATORE: Frustrated over the prolonged delay on the part of revenue officials in granting free house sites to poor families, members of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) held a protest in Mettupalayam by floating the copies of their petitions on the Bhavani river on Friday.According to the protesters, landless daily wage earners and low-income residents in and around Mettupalayam had repeatedly submitted petitions at the tahsildar office and during public grievance redressal camps seeking house sites with patta. However, residents allege that revenue officials had failed to conduct field inspections and left thousands of applications pending.Grieved by the revenue department’s apathy, the protesters gathered on the banks of the Bhavani and floated the copies of their petitions on the river.CITU taluk secretary Basha, who led the protest, said, “Poor people have been waiting for patta land for more than 15 years in Mettupalayam. We have identified govt land and informed officials. However, they did not take any action to process our request. Officials should identify eligible impoverished families waiting for years and grant them free house sites without further delay. The district collector must initiate departmental action against Mettupalayam revenue officials who neglect the basic rights of the poor.”
