Malkangiri: With the urban local body (ULB) elections drawing closer, people in ward 3 of Malkangiri municipality have reversed their decision to boycott votes in the ULB polls after the intervention of the district administration.
Notably, they had warned of shunning the polls over land pattas, which have not been provided to them. They alleged that an official has managed to get lease plots of the residents registered in his name.
Taking serious note of the issue, officials of the district administration held talks with the residents Saturday and assured that the issue would be sorted out soon.
Subsequently, the locals have reversed their decision to boycott votes in the ULB polls. Reports said, ward 3 has over 1,500 voters while 400 families have been deprived of pattas of their homestead land, even though they have been residing in the municipality area for years.
“We are exhausted from frequenting to the collectorate and the tehsil office for pattas. As it yielded no results, we moved the court for the land rights. We had decided to boycott poll this time,” residents said.
Now, several aspirants have started mulling effective ways to tackle such issues and appease the angry voters. Repeated pleas for land pattas by the slum dwellers before the Collector and tehsildar have fallen flat.
“We will boycott polls unless we get written assurance from the administration. We will continue our agitation against the administrative apathy towards us,” they fumed.
Fearing hindrance in the ULB polls, Malkangiri sub-collector Akshay Kumar Khemudu talked to the residents. “After April, steps will be taken to issue pattas of their dwelling places. A survey will be conducted,” he added.
People in some other wards are sore over other issues and warned of boycotting polls.
PNN
