KOLLAM: A homeless, destitute dalit woman and her niece hailing from Adinadu West at Kulasekharapuram here will soon get deliverance from their plight thanks to the efforts of a group of youngsters who have come forward to build them a house.
The woman, Thankamani, and her niece, Kingini, 11, a sixth standard student, have been living in a shack for over the last eight years. Thankamani had lost her two sons in an accident and her third son has been missing for many years.
“Kingini is the daughter of Thankamani’s brother Sunil, who is no more, while her mother has been missing for a long time. She has a brother Aswin who is with the Child Line now. The youngsters, moved by their condition, decided to build them a new house costing Rs 2-3 lakh,” said Mr V. Saiju, convener of the action council, and a former panchayat member of the CPM.
The panchayat had about eight years back sanctioned Rs 35,000 to construct a house on a piece of land allotted to them at Kattilkadavu here. However, as the construction started, Thankamani lost one of her sons, Suku. The works did not progress since then.
The new house will be built at the same location. Thankamani and the child now live in a shack thatched with flex prints. The woman collects plastic from roadsides to cover the walls of the hut. Her sole income is from ‘Thozhilurappu’ once in a while.
