Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala will inaugurate a mini-township planned by Niyas Chithara, former Youth Congress vice-president, at Kottarakkara later this month. Niyas, 42, a lawyer in the High Court, had contributed an acre and 10 cents of his family property to the homeless and destitutes in 2013.
Two bedroom houses will be constructed in four cents of land each for 20 homeless people. The mini-township has been named ‘Gandhigram’ and the homeless have been identified from the state government’s data base. In the first stage, 10 people will be given land documents by Mr Chennithala. KPCC president Mulla-pally Ramachandran will hand over the financial aid to construct the first house.
Niyas told DC that his aim was to finish the township within two years upholding the principles of Mahatma Gandhi.
“All the 20 people will get a house each in four cents of land. There will be an anganawadi, library, common religious centre, rain water harvesting, waste disposal units and a solar plant,” he said.
The owners will not be allowed to transfer the property for 15 years.
Manidas, 68, one of the beneficiaries, said that owing to his wife’s ill health, he was forced to sell his previous home. “I will get a home. On Saturday, the land was registered in my name at the sub-registrar office at Chithara, near Kottarak-ara,” said Manidas who is unable to work due to failing health.
The then KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran had suspended Niyas Chithara in March 2014 over his allegations against Congress leaders at a press meet in New Delhi. He had hoped to bag the Attingal Lok Sabha seat and turned against the party leadership when he failed to get it.
