The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has asked the District Collector and the Secretary of the Social Justice Department to submit a report on the plight of Kolottu Kunnu Colony residents in Kozhikode city within three weeks.
The Commission has suo motu registered a complaint based on media reports. Most dwellings in the colony, located near Pottammal Junction on Mavoor Road, are makeshift huts covered in flex sheets. There is no proper road to the colony. Toilets do not have walls and are covered using old sarees and plastic sheets.
The residents complained of ill-timed water supply that stops by day break, making it difficult for them to collect enough water. The area is also infested with snakes, especially pythons.
The colony houses around 20 families, mostly comprising daily wage labourers. They started residing on the land owned by the Public Works Department, 27 years ago. There were 42 families initially, but most of them shifted elsewhere.
The residents have said that they cannot get a housing loan or building license to better the condition of their houses as the land did not belong to them. The PWD had initiated proceedings to provide title deeds for the land a few years ago, but it was put on hold due to technical reasons. Title deeds for the land on which their houses are located is a major demand of the residents.
