A total of 17 families from Shanmugam Parai Paliyarkudi village in Periyammapatti panchayat at Palani taluk in Dindigul district have petitioned the Dindigul Collector, urging the district administration to recognise and develop their existing settlement as a formal village.
The petitioners, belonging to Paliyar tribe, said they are a forest‑dependent nomadic community traditionally engaged in collecting minor forest produce, goat rearing and agricultural labour.
They said house site pattas were issued to them three years ago but they continue to live in individual hut houses on about one acre of government poramboke land.
According to the petition, closely built concrete houses in dense colonies would go against their customary way of life, which requires space for livestock sheds and scattered housing. The families have requested a proper survey and demarcation of the patta land already allotted to them, followed by the construction of separate concrete houses under the Tholkudi scheme in a layout that respects their cultural practices and ancestral lifestyle.
Published – December 22, 2025 09:04 pm IST
