Telangana breaks new floor by allocating homes to atrocity survivors

For years, Kumari Hema* by no means actually belonged anyplace. A 32-year-old mom of 1, she moved from colony to colony in #Hyderabad, chased by whispers, evicted by landlords, and judged by neighbours who recoiled the second they learnt the reality: that she was a survivor of sexual assault.

“We used to skip meals simply to pay ₹3,500 in lease for a spot that hardly felt like a house,” she recalled, her voice quivering with emotion. “Even then, the house owners would harass us,” she stated.

That burden, she says, has now been lifted.

Hema is one among a number of survivors who’ve been allotted a 2BHK flat in newly-built group housing within the metropolis’s rising residential hubs. This is a part of an initiative by the #Telangana authorities below its Indiramma Indlu housing scheme. The properties are being allotted to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) victims of significant crimes, together with rape and homicide instances, the place convictions have been secured, with the goal of providing security, dignity and a recent begin.

“Now, nobody can ask me to depart. I’ve a home of my very own. My identify is on the patta certificates. For somebody whose identify was as soon as on an FIR, this seems like an actual identification,” she stated, smiling via her eyes.

For 27-year-old Sonal*, life too had come to a halt after she was sexually assaulted. A promising engineering pupil on the time, she dropped out of school and retreated from the world because of the trauma and ache the incident introduced. Now, years later, she has cleared the #Telangana Law Common Entrance Test and is making ready to start out an LLB course via distance schooling in a couple of month.

“I ended believing {that a} future was even attainable,” the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) sufferer stated. “But issues are altering. I’ve obtained a second likelihood in my research, in my marriage, and now in my very own new house.” Sonal, who works part-time as a instructor obtained married six months in the past and is about to maneuver into her new flat along with her husband. She is already scouting for close by faculties to work at whereas persevering with her schooling.

Sudha Laxmi*, 35, a mom of two and a home employee, has lived in the identical locality for practically three many years. But familiarity didn’t spare her from stigma after she was assaulted, even after the perpetrator was convicted. “Neighbours by no means let me overlook it. I confronted taunts for years,” she stated. “I’m relieved to depart all of it behind.”

The ladies are ready for last plumbing and electrical work to be accomplished earlier than they shift into the residences, constructed as a part of the primary part of the federal government’s broader housing initiative for atrocity victims. Under this part, 43 survivors in Cyberabad and 25 from Rachakonda have been allotted properties.

The district’s SC Development Wing, in collaboration with the police, compiles lists of eligible victims. These are instances from 2014 onwards that led to conviction. The focus, officers say, is on verified instances to keep away from authorized problems and guarantee safety.

“These are individuals who weren’t simply victims of crime, but additionally of societal neglect. The least we are able to do is give them a way of belonging,” stated a senior police officer related to the mission.

“The complete course of is dealt with discreetly. In most instances, they’re moved into neighbourhoods the place others from their group already reside.”

The 2BHK properties themselves are easy however adequate. Each flat is 560 sq. toes, with two bedrooms, a corridor, a kitchen, and two loos. The kitchen opens out onto a small balcony with a washing space. Many occupants have chosen to improve the flooring, add tiles or false ceilings, or personalise the area in a small however significant methods.

*Names have been modified to guard the identities of the survivors.