Thiruvananthapuram: Illegal mining continues around the house of Darli, 74, who has become an icon for her lonely fight against the sand mafia. Due to mining, her premises have turned into an island in Neyyar river and it can get submerged anytime. After being displaced, she could return home only on Friday, after good Samaritans built a bridge using wooden logs connecting her house.
“Ever since I returned, I stay awake until 2am to ensure that nobody touches the soil. Once I sleep, until dawn these guys plunder the land. Some natives of Tamil Nadu had bought land around my house which was around 30 cents. Now I hardly have land around my house,” says Darli. Darli’s land that sits on Neyyar has been carved from below by the mafia. So during the rains, the water forms a swirl and washes the land away. During the past rainy seasons, she had to be rehabilitated by officials. The Government had offered her alternative land in Amboori but she declined to shift.
“It is really not safe to live there. Mining continues here. We have no mechanism to check her welfare daily. She will not leave the place so the issue is a stalemate of sorts for us,” said local councillor (Olathanni) Sunitha Kumari M. Darli’s grandfather, Aaralam Vaidyan, a healer used to give potions and cast spells to relieve many sick persons who came to him. The woman used to be a sweeper at Ayruveda hospital and lives on a pension of Rs 6000 per month.
