The smooth road, which suddenly breaks the snake at the foot of the Sabarimala forests, suddenly breaks on a jagged, rocky section near Athumbumkulum, a small village in Konno, Pathanamthita.
A few hundred meters ahead, the path is immersed in a stream of crystal clean water that feeds the river Kallar. There is a narrow bridge over it, opening up at the inscription, Ambedacar Memorial Model Village, Chengara Samarabhoomi, one of the hard -fighting ground communities in Kerala recently. Just behind the gate, the road opens into cleaning with a unique temple that honors three deities next to each other: Ayyankali, Br Ambedkar and Lord Buddha.
From a slope, a life -size statue overlooks settlement. A clearly painted building stands out from the modest setting of the area. At first glance, it could be wrong for a model school. However, the school cacophony is replaced by a heavy silence. Inside the building, which is a community center, sits Arya Rajesh, a student of class VIII at the Konni Government School, immersed in reading. He spends most of his time here whenever he is at home. “It is very difficult to spend time in my house, especially during the holiday. The match of the diesel lamps has persisted all day. My parents’ attacks, our parents will not let us play outside,” he says.
It is one of the nearly 200 children in Chengar, which are forced to cope with the basic facilities, because their families are engaged in long -term protest looking for land to survive. Settlement has no power connection, roads, drinking water, secure houses and waste water system.
History
Eighteen years ago, on the night of August 4, 2007, around 600 families without land, led by Dalita Laha Gopalan, almost 145 hectares of the rubber plantation Harrison Malayalam in Chengar, each demanding five acres of land. They named the occupied land of Samarabhoomi (protest Land), built tents and assigned each family 50 cents. They fenced the land, began to grow and build houses. The agitation was at the head of Sadhu Jan Vimochan Samyukt Vedi (SJVSV).
Entry point to settle the protesters of the protesters of Cengar. | PHOTO CREDIT: VISHNU PRATHAP
Although some residents received land in other parts of the state within the package announced by the State Government in 2009, most of the population found an attractive offer. Two years later, in 2011, SJVSV again launched his fight, which entered his 14th year.
The modest two -room Arya house sits under a huge tree in the area. The houses of the house resemble battlefields, with the remains of crops trampled across the area that sat down with wild elephants. “Life has strengthened us here,” says Arya’s mother Anith Rajesh. “But our children deserve more than smoke lamps and sleepless nights spent in fear of wild animals. We can’t even give them a safe place to study.”
Chengara stands as an abandoned island in Kerala, which often boasts her achievements in children’s development indexes. Many families are forced to send their department to hostels or homes for schooling. The persecution of higher education is a distant dream for most children.
“It’s been 18 years since we settled here, and none of the families has power connections. Diesel lamps are widely used for lighting, while several houses installed sunlight. Smoke from diesel lamps causes respiratory problems for children,” says GOPI.
Shobhana draws water from a well -close community hall in Chengara. | PHOTO CREDIT: VISHNU PRATHAP
Most families have limited access to drinking water. Navigation via Ricket Roads is a treacherous matter. Without performance, charging mobile phones has become a costly matter. Access to the Internet is also denied in the absence of a power connection. “We pay around 10 GBP for billing our phones in stores or houses outside the settlement,” says D. Rajendran, resident.
Legal intervention
The application of Chengara’s children has recently attracted the attention of the State Commission for children’s rights. The complaint filed by an educational activist says: “Kerala should think about the mental state of children from settlements that come from scary living conditions. They are deprived of good food, clean clothing and proper housing.
N. Sundand, a member of the Commission, met the residents of the settlement to evaluate this situation. “Children live in pitiful conditions. They do not have proper access to educational institutions in the absence of a motor road. They have to pedal at least 3 km on a broken road to school vehicles. “The worrying conditions in which the children live there is violated by the fundamental right to life guaranteed in the constitution,” he adds.
Although efforts were previously made to improve the electrical lines to settle, nothing took place with the authorities that quoted the ongoing disputes concerning the occupation of the plantation. “Let the parties invade problems on the relevant forums. Nothing should prevent the authorities from providing children with strength, paths and water,” he says.
Elizabeth Jose, a social worker of the district unit for protection of children, pathanamthita, also agrees to observe Sunand. “There are no right toilets for most families. Continuous exposure to diesel and kerosene smoke could adversely affect the health of children. The area slips into darkness at night because there are no street lighting. There are serious health concerns.
Children’s living conditions violate Article 6 of the UN Convention on Children’s Rights, which speaks of their right to life, survival and development. Since India is a signatory of the Pact, the government is tied to the protection of the rights of its children, points to Sunand.
“We cannot provide our children with nutritious food. Wild animals destroy everything that is kept,” says Shobhana, mother Satya Devi, IX class student.
CJ Antony, a former member of the Commission, recalls that the SUO Motu should interfere with a problem six years ago. Twelve children were issued by Aadhar cards, birth certificates and other documents after the committee intervention, he emphasizes.
Collective failure
Social activist Sunny Kapikkad considers Chengar’s situation a case with the state failure to provide Dalits to the Dalits and other benefits. “Although Kerala often boasts radical social changes brought by the Act on Earth Reforms in Kerala, they did not benefit millions without land.
“How can families that lack the title list, allocation cards and valid identification cards, and even access to basic equipment, raise their children in a safe and healthy environment? The state must urgently solve them,” Sunny warns.
The state should come up with a package for rehabilitation of families covering educational, employee and health needs of every passenger, especially children. Undigred funds available with planned castes and planned tribal departments should be used for the package, suggests.
When the night falls, the area absorbs a pungent smell of kerosene and diesel. The cloud of fear descends like a predator on hunting. Flame of kerosene lamp illuminated inside Arya’s House flashes in the wind, as well as her struggle to stay above the water in his life. The books are her only companions. As her favorite book, Kattilekkulla Vazhi (the way to the forest) selects. “The title is so much associated with my life,” he adds with an ugly smile.
