Homeless, K'taka couple lives in bathroom of relatives for a year

A couple from Tumakuru in Karnataka was forced to live in the bathroom of their relative after a delay in the allocation of a house to them by the government. 55-year-old Obalappa and his wife, 45-year-old Lakshminarasamma, lived in a mud house in Kadapalakere village in Tumakuru’s Pavagada taluk.

A year ago, the Kotagudda Gram Panchayat had informed the couple that they had been alloted a house under the BR Ambedkar Niwas Yojana. They were asked to demolish the house, which was in a bad condition and to lay the foundation for a new one. Having no place to live, the couple was forced to take the decision to stay in the bathroom of a relative’s house in the same locality, reports The Hindu.

The couple enlisted the help of friend and family, from whom they took loans to begin laying the foundation for their home. Once the foundation was laid, the officials inspected it and even issued a work order in January this year. A total of Rs 1.64 lakh had been sanctioned to the couple to build, which was to be given to them in three installments.However, till date, they have not received the promised amount.

Despite approaching the Gram Panchayat and Pavagada taluk office, no significant action has been taken by the officials in this regard.

“It’s like living in a hell in this 4x4-foot bathroom. I am sick and I cannot sleep here properly,” Obalappa told The Hindu.

Lakshminarasamma is an agricultural labourer, who struggles to support her sick husband. When there is no work, she relies on her son, who is a produce vendor in Bengaluru, to help them.

Officials had visited the couple on Saturday, but no signficiant improvement is seen in their situation. In fact, the couple is now without a home again and is living in the front yard of another relative, after authorities who inspected their living situation, threatened to issue a notice to the owner of the house where the couple lived in the bathroom. As an added measure, the bathroom has now been locked by the officials.