Order defied, school is still used as relief camp

ALAPPUZHA: The eight homeless families who have been living in the rehabilitation camp of the Government New LPS, Purakad, have not been shifted although the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) had ordered the removal of the  camp  a month ago.

A  KeSCPCR bench  comprising J. Sandhya and  Glory George had ordered district collector and deputy director of education to shut down  the  camp after DC published a report on it on November 30.  The camp was started following sea erosion in July 2014.    

The KeSCPCR  ruled that running rehabilitation centres in the school violated the provisions of the Right to Education Act (RTE) and Juvenile Justice Act 2015.(JJ Act).      

Ward member Bindu Shaji said the district administration had promised to conduct a meeting in this regard on Tuesday,  but it did not take place.  “If no action is taken to rehabilitate the families, we will  organise an agitation,” she said.

A total of 135 homeless fishermen in Purakad panchayat  have been  on the warpath for over two years for land and  accommodation. On December 17 last year, a group of fishermen had barged into the  panchayat office and locked up the officials. Twenty  fishermen were slapped with criminal cases by the police.

Ms N.K. Prasannakumari, headmistress, said many outsiders roam around the school due to the presence of the rehabilitation camp.  A hall of the  six-room school has been set apart  for the  camp.

Ms Sasikala Purushan, an inmate,  said that they were ready to leave the school if they were given a safe place to live anywhere in the panchayat. “The politicians had promised to provide us accommodation within six- months during the election time. We are still waiting for them to fulfil their promise,” she said.