Kozhikode: The 17-year old boy of Government Children’s Home, Thavanoor, Malappuram, is on cloud nine. The 10-cent of land, which is the lone inheritance from his late mother, would not be auctioned by the bank, thanks to the intervention of social justice (SJ) department and district child protection unit (DCPU). The SJ department has sanctioned Rs 87,913 to clear the dues to the Kondotty Agricultural Cooperative Rural Development Bank to save his land. The loan of Rs 40,000 was taken by his mother in 2006 for renovating the house on the property in Cherukavu grama panchayat, Vazhayur, in Malappuram.
The woman and the single child were in a deprived condition as her husband abandoned them. With none to take care of, the woman became overly conscious towards her son which led her to mental trauma. A few years back, she was shifted to the ‘Asha Bhavan’, under SJ department in Kozhikode. Meanwhile, the boy got sheltered at children’s home under institutional care. The loan default cumulated to a big amount, and the bank was to put the property for auction.
In between, the woman died a year back prompting some distant relatives to possess the land. “It was at this juncture, SJ department and DCPU intervened. The amount was sanctioned under integrated child protection scheme (ICPS),” says Samir Machingal, district child protection officer. On Onam, Malappuram district collector would hand over the land document to the boy. As he is a minor, superintendent of the children’s home will be its custodian. “The boy is good at studies and was deeply attached to his mother,” said a member of district child welfare committee. The bank staff, M.P Sankara Narayanan, said it had fixed the lowest amount considering its special nature.
