Coimbatore Residents Threaten Election Boycott Over Unissued Housing Pattas

Residents of Ramanna Gounder Nagar in Maniyakarampalayam, Coimbatore, have announced their intention to boycott the upcoming Assembly elections due to the government's failure to issue housing pattas (land title deeds). The community, comprising 50 houses, has been waiting for these documents for thirty years despite having their sites approved under a special Tamil Nadu government scheme. Residents report that they have regularly paid property, water, and garbage taxes but remain unable to obtain the Temporary Settlement Land Rights (TSLR) or final pattas. K. Maniraj, a local resident, highlighted that numerous petitions were submitted to government officials and during public grievance camps like Makkaludan Mudhalvar and Ungaludan Stalin, yet the issue remains unresolved. In response to the residents tying banners announcing their boycott decision, police held discussions with the community on Friday. This protest underscores long-standing administrative delays in land regularization and the resulting political disenfranchisement felt by the affected citizens in Coimbatore city.