SALEM: A wall raised many years ago on Gandhi Mahan street in the 42nd division of the Salem Corporation, has turned a sticky issue for the administration to handle as the structure is claimed to be a caste wall dividing the Arundhathiyars and other communities.About 50 persons living on the other side of the so-called caste wall launched a 50-hour hunger fast near the collectorate on Tuesday demanding among other things immediate demolition of the wall. Activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) led the stir.At present, the wall could hardly be located amidst the densely populated area. Once a farm land, the 42nd division today is a concrete jungle. On one side is an appalling slum inhabited by 760 families of Arundhathiars. On the other side is a posh clean locality where the present councillor Sarala Gunasekaran and people with affluent economic status live. Between the two locales runs a channel and the wall runs along the bank of the channel adjacent to the Arundhathiars colony. The wall lies partly in patta lands and partly in poromboke lands. Its presence on the poromboke land and the fact that its partly damaged portions were rebuilt two years back, has raised suspicions that it was built to divide the Arunthathiyars by caste hindus years back. However, the Arunthadhiyars themselves seem to be oblivious to the presence of the wall. Murugan (58), a resident who took part in the fast, said he was not aware of a wall, “All I know is a wall of the school building in my area.” “Which wall? We are here to demand pattas for our houses and to demand basic amenities for our area,” said Alaemelu (63). Meanwhile, according to a preliminary report from the police intelligence wing, the wall was built several decades ago by one Vaiyalli Pillai. He built it to prevent vandals from entering his agricultural lands. The Arunthathiyar colony did exist then and it is suspected that perhaps Vaiyalli Pillai even intended to prevent them from trespassing.Salem Thasildhar T Kumaresan said a survey of the wall to ascertain facts has been ordered. The demand for pattas has been referred to the Slum Clearance Board and that of basic amenities to the Salem Corporation.The police in the meantime prepared for arrests because Democratic Youth Federation of India was denied permission to conduct the fifty hour fast. The protestors beat a retreat after talks with the officials.
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