Arippa land struggle beneficiaries in Keralam face bleak Onam
Families in Kerala who participated in the Arippa land struggle are facing a crisis after receiving title deeds that lack legal standing due to forest land disputes. The inability to secure basic services like electricity and housing has left these families in a dire situation during the Onam festival.
Why it matters
It highlights the failure of administrative processes in land reform and the resulting humanitarian impact on marginalized communities.
For more than 10 years, 42-year-old Shyni clung to a single, modest hope—to sit down for a traditional Onam feast with her two sons inside a real home. When she finally received a title deed for 10 cents of land six months ago, it felt like the end of her long, gruelling vigil at the Arippa Bhoosamaram (land struggle) site here.
Instead, the paper in her hands has turned this Onam into a bitter marker of betrayal. Ms. Shyni’s is among more than 200 landless families who received pattayams in February, believing their long struggle was over. Today, those documents sit worthless inside ramshackle tarpaulin sheds, shredded by heavy monsoon rains. Rather than granting security, the State’s gesture has locked the families into an administrative trap that leaves them worse off than before the agitation ended.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in