Foundation Laying ceremony for 108 Houses at C.
Manambadi
Background of the housing initiative
Manambadi is a Dalit (ex-untouchables) village in Killai Panchayat of Parangipettai Block, Cuddalore, Tamilnadu, India. It is located closer to the backwaters of Vellar River. The de-silted Buckimham Canal, which was earlier used for inland navigation by the British colonial government, is passing through this village. This village is about a mile from the East Coast of Bay of Bengal. Hence it was indirectly hit by the coastal waves. The villagers suffered from the Tsunami wave through the backwaters of Vellar, which is closer to the village. Many acres of fertile agriculture land were lost through the desalination of backwater. The entire village water sources were contaminated by tsunami water.
The villagers are landless and assetless poor. They are mostly agricultural labourers and some of them are also engaged as fish labourers or catching fish and prawns in backwaters. They had also lost their livelihood and employment during the entire post-tsunami period.
Most of the families in Manambadi are living like an emergency camp, as 90% of them are living under thatched roof and depilated houses. Though the government had made group houses two decades ago to some families, these dwellings were broken, a few are in precarious condition and some have flattened in this November-December flood. The villagers had made representation to the government many times. But they were not able to get the shelter they have been longing for years.
AID’s partnership for recovery in Manampadi
Dalit village
AID being
an organization committed to the excluded and most poor
groups, Dalits, tribes and women, it identified few Dalit
villages in Killai region for its tsunami reconstruction
works and finally narrowed down on C. Manambadi village, a
Dalit village.
Uniqueness of the project:
The
uniqueness of this project is that not a single family was
left out of housing in this village. Each and every family
is going to become the proud owners of their respective
houses once the project is completed.
Dream project of Manambadi villagers launched:
On 11th of
December 2005, the villagers of C. Manambadi performed Bhumi
Pooja (Prayer for blessing from God of land) after
worshipping their village Deity. The Pooja had
started at 8.00 a.m. and went on for nearly two hours.
All the villagers were in a festive and happy mood. They all
had participated with brimming zeal and happiness in the
Pooja. The seeds for owning a house for 108 families
were sown on the day. The life time ambition of being proud
owners of their own house is in the pipeline in Manambadi.
They laid a firm and strong foundation stone on the occasion
to mark the inauguration of the housing project. Their hard
struggle for a pretty house is partly won on the day. Being
home makers, women are double happy after knowing that they
are going to become owners of a concrete house.
Opening of foundation plaque
To give
further hopes to the villagers, a formal ceremony of fixing
a plaque was held. The Sub-Collector of Chidambaram Taluka,
Mr. Arun Rai opened the plaque at 10.15 a.m. In his
address to the villagers, he had commended the good works of
AID not only in C. Manambadi village, but also to the entire
Cuddalore district. In his address, he had highlighted
the Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation programmes and recent
Flood Relief works undertaken by AID. He said to the
people, “You are fortunate to get the organization like
AID to serve you through building houses as part of the
post-Tsunami reconstruction”.
Prior to his address, the Sub-Collector was welcomed by the
villagers with music and showering of flowers at the
entrance of the village. The Project Coordinator of
AID proposed vote of thanks who had also told the people to
work in collaboration with AID for the successful completion
of the residential houses.
Manambadi is a Dalit (ex-untouchables) village in Killai Panchayat of Parangipettai Block, Cuddalore, Tamilnadu, India. It is located closer to the backwaters of Vellar River. The de-silted Buckimham Canal, which was earlier used for inland navigation by the British colonial government, is passing through this village. This village is about a mile from the East Coast of Bay of Bengal. Hence it was indirectly hit by the coastal waves. The villagers suffered from the Tsunami wave through the backwaters of Vellar, which is closer to the village. Many acres of fertile agriculture land were lost through the desalination of backwater. The entire village water sources were contaminated by tsunami water. 
On 11th of
December 2005, the villagers of C. Manambadi performed Bhumi
Pooja (Prayer for blessing from God of land) after
worshipping their village Deity. The Pooja had
started at 8.00 a.m. and went on for nearly two hours.
All the villagers were in a festive and happy mood. They all
had participated with brimming zeal and happiness in the
Pooja. The seeds for owning a house for 108 families
were sown on the day. The life time ambition of being proud
owners of their own house is in the pipeline in Manambadi.
They laid a firm and strong foundation stone on the occasion
to mark the inauguration of the housing project. Their hard
struggle for a pretty house is partly won on the day. Being
home makers, women are double happy after knowing that they
are going to become owners of a concrete house.
To give
further hopes to the villagers, a formal ceremony of fixing
a plaque was held. The Sub-Collector of Chidambaram Taluka,
Mr. Arun Rai opened the plaque at 10.15 a.m. In his
address to the villagers, he had commended the good works of
AID not only in C. Manambadi village, but also to the entire
Cuddalore district. In his address, he had highlighted
the Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation programmes and recent
Flood Relief works undertaken by AID. He said to the
people, “You are fortunate to get the organization like
AID to serve you through building houses as part of the
post-Tsunami reconstruction”.