Wall to shut out dalits stirs controversy in Pannimadai

Coimbatore: A 10 feet tall wall blocking the path to an arunthathiyar colony at Pannimadai, on the outskirts of the city, has become a bone of contention.
A real-estate promoter, who launched a gated community project in an adjacent site, had constructed the wall seven months ago to keep scheduled caste people out, said Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhgam (TPDK) general secretary Ku Ramakrishnan. “More than 120 SC families are residing at Kondasamy Nagar in Pannimadai village panchayat. The promoter has been selling sites on Kannabiran Nagar, adjacent to Kondasamy Nagar, and had handed over four roads in the site to the panchayat for development. A panchayat road to Kondasamy Nagar passed through Kannabiran Nagar. The promoter constructed a tall wall and blocked the panchayat road, which is illegal,” he said.
“Also, as per government rules, builders can construct only four feet tall walls. But this promoter violated the rules and constructed the 10 feet tall wall to hide view to the settlement. We consider it as an untouchability wall and requested the village panchayat to demolish it. But the panchayat administration took no action,” Ramakrishnan told TOI.
TPDK on Saturday petitioned district revenue officer P S Leela Alex at the collectorate on Saturday, demanding action against the promoter. “The promoter told us that the wall was constructed to hide view to the arunthathiyar settlement, the presence of which, they said, makes the site less appealing to buyers,” TPDK member C Santhosh Kumar said.
If the district administration fails to demolish the wall, TPDK members and arunthathiyar people will do it soon, Ramakrishnan added.
Pannimadai village panchayat president Rathinam Marudhachalam told TOI that the promoter had agreed to demolish the wall. “Kondasamy Nagar residents will be able to use the panchayat road at Kannabiran Nagar within a few days,” he said.