Kottayam: The Railways SC Colony in Ayarkunnam Panchayat's Kongandoor is a stark contrast to the bustling village town 3.5km away. Ayarkunnam town and Kongandoor junction are decked with bunting and flags of various political parties. The din and glit fade as one head to the colony dotted with crumbling and unoccupied houses. For the residents, the byelection in Puthupally is the last thing on mind.
In the late 2000s, the state government zeroed in on an isolated patch of land at the end of Vadekeparam-Elappani road to rehabilitate 20 Scheduled Caste families displaced by the doubling of railway tracks in Kottayam.
Each family was promised five cents and the government named the settlement Railway SC Colony.
In 2009, the Union government gave Rs 80,000 each to the 20 families. "As the money was barely enough to build a house, we collectively gave the money to a contractor to build us houses," said Chandana Mari (36), a resident who works as a domestic help.
With the Rs 16 lakh, the contractor built 20 structures, each measuring 300 sq ft.
"He left the construction work mid-way and left. What we got was an unplastered one-bedroom house without a roof or bathroom," said Chandana Mari.
The lack of money and water supply prevented beneficiaries from staking claim of the houses.
By 2014, the houses were run over by wild grass and bushes. But Chandana Mari, with two children aged six and four years, and a 67-year-old father had nowhere to go. "So I decided to move into the house," she said.
Her family were the first residents. "It was very brave of her to come and settle here when no one was here," said Lata Vijaykumar (38), another resident.
Chandana Mari borrowed money to clean the house, install an asbestos roof, and build a toilet. The single bedroom was just 6ft by 6ft and one bed filled it.
Following her, five more families settled in the colony. "The remaining 14 houses are still lying in disuse and home to dangerous reptiles," said Lata's husband Vijaykumar Parampu.
The residents said the government had left them to fend for themselves in the dilapidated houses. The front door of Malathy and Mariappan's house has come off the hinges. The asbestos roof of Murugan S (43) is falling apart. The houses are yet to be plastered.
In the 2018 storm, Chandana Mari's asbestos roof came crashing down when her son, then nine years old, was watching television. He escaped unhurt. "It scared me. I immediately took a loan from a microfinance company and made a concrete roof," she said.
"The government should give us money to renovate and expand the houses," said Murugan, who suffered a stroke that paralysed his left arm.
Residents said the government was not issuing caste certificates to them, which has led to the denial of benefits to them and their children, including house maintenance grants.
Malathy said she has been making the rounds of Ayarkunnam village for the past nine months for a caste certificate. "I need a caste certificate to apply for a house," she said.
Ganesh said his son in Class IX was also denied a caste certificate. "None of the nine school-going students of the colony was issued a caste certificate," he said. Caste certificates were denied even when they submitted previously issued ones.
Every day is a battle living in this colony, said Malathy. "The road to the colony is so steep that I fall short of breath whenever I go out," she said. "Imagine the plight of the elderly living here," she said.
