Lack of title deeds deprives coastal families of benefits

Ownership certificates are needed to get aid from government for repairing houses damaged by sea erosion

Prema Gilbert’s house in Cheriyathura was left battered in the strong waves that pounded the capital’s coastline some months back. The small plot near the sea had been her family’s abode for the past three decades. With the house left almost uninhabitable by the waves, she applied for financial aid from the government for carrying out maintenance work. But, for many like her who live along the coast and do not have title deeds or ownership certificates for their land, getting any such government aid is a tall order. “I used to stay in that house with my daughter and her child. While my husband passed away 12 years back, her husband left her nine years back. We had applied at the village office for government aid for carrying out maintenance work, but we have been told that without a title deed it is hard to get. Now, we are living in a rented house. Due to the lockdown, my daughter lost her job and I have also not been able to go for my job as a domestic worker,” says Ms.Gilbert.