After hearing about Collector M. Karunakaran’s efforts that ensured construction of concrete houses for 37 narikorava families of Park Town in Valliyoor on an outlay of Rs. 1.11 crore, a group of gypsies from Azhagiyapandiapuram submitted a petition to the Collector seeking free house sites for them.
On receiving the petition at the weekly grievance day meet held at the Collectorate on Monday, Dr. Karunakaran immediately instructed officials to visit the gypsy colony on Tuesday and identify suitable lands near Azhagiyapandiapuram for giving free house sites to them.
The 37 gypsy families are now living in small tents pitched on the outskirts of Azhagiyapandiapuram under the Manur union on the Tirunelveli – Sankarankovil Highway and their children are studying in a government-aided primary school nearby.
Sensing the need for imparting education to these hapless children while increasing the students’ strength of the school, teachers of this school have made arrangements for free transport of the gypsy children every day.
The gypsies, who make artificial ornaments, go to Sankarankovil every day to sell their products to the public and the devotees visiting Sri Sankaranarayanaswamy Temple and return home before 5 p.m. to feed the children with what they earned during the day.
“We (the 37 families) have 20 children... We never allowed them to beg. We’ve admitted them to a school nearby.
Moreover, we’ don’t allow child marriage as we get our daughters married only after the age of 20.
Since we respect and follow the government’s instructions on child education and child marriage, the district administration should consider our plea for free house sites,” said Kaattu Roja, a gypsy, while submitting the petition to Dr. Karunakaran.
