Background
Located on 287 acres on the Rameshwaram
- Madurai National Highway, No.490, Mandapam refugee camp, was originally raised in 1917 by the British Raj. Then, it served as a transit facility for shipping labourers to work in the coffee, tea and rubber plantations in erstwhile Ceylon. After independence it continued as the property of the Sri Lankan government, and was purchased per the Srimao - Shashtri agreement of 1969 and converted into a repatriates camp for those returning back to Indiafrom Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government had originally constructed 107 Semi permanent houses. In 1969 1514 houses were added. Today there are 1955 houses of which 92 are under repair.
There are 3 types of housing:
- Barrack type with Mangalore tiled roofing which form the majority
- Barrack type with asbestos roofing
- Barrack type with flat cement roofing
All of 150 sq. ft. single room accommodation with provision for a 3x3 ft. kitchenette alcove.
From 1969 to 1984 about 114,712 families of repatriates and refugees have passed through the camp and been returned to Sri Lanka. Prior to the current refugee influx there were 708 persons comprising 236 families were housed at the camp. From Jan 2006 till date more than 5500 refugees (1785 families with 2169 men, 1879 women, 968 boys, and 774 girls making a total of 5790 persons) have poured into the camp. In the last 45 days alone 872 families totaling 2915 persons have entered the camp.
Reception of Refugees:
The fishermen sight the refugees when they are off-loaded from Sri Lankan fast boats. They are dropped in close proximity to the coast in neck deep water depending on the tide. The Navy and Coast Guard located at Harichal point or Dhanushkodi act on the information and pick up the refugees. NGOs like the OFFER and JRS have positioned their representatives who get in touch to bring food. The refugees are given tea and buns and wait transportation.
From Harichal point to Dhanushkodi is 10 kms and only 4x4 vehicles can ply due to the sandy bars. The police bring them to C3 Dhanushkodi police station
Action at the police station:
The police take the fingerprint, photographs and note of all the belongings and prepare a list. They wait the whole day in the police station compound, which has only one toilet for the staff, which is also used by others. They are fed by the Government in the compound. At the end of the day when no more refugees are expected they are transported to Mandapam camp. The people are under stress and tension and look for medicines which are not available. They also wait at the camp for completion of various formalities. The formalities includes checking by the CB-CID/Q branch, CID, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the revenue officials. At the end of it the following documents are prepared/provided.
a. Refugee ID card
b. Refugee Ration card
c. Refugee Data Dossier
d. Bedding
e. Utensils
f. Ration
At the completion of all those documents they are sent into "Quarantine" for 72 hours, which is utilized in cross-interrogation. The men are kept in separate enclosures. Those that have least suspicious of political leaning/ sympathy are separated and sent to special camp located in Chenglepet. Others are then allotted with accommodation and sent to their residence. Till date from Jan - June only 12 such cases have been sent to Chenglepet as per the DIG of SLR police.
Accommodation
|
S.No
| Type of house |
Old
|
Semi Permanent
|
Total
|
|
a.
| Total Houses |
755
|
1200
|
1955
|
|
b.
| Loss under Repair |
42
|
50
|
92
|
|
c.
| Fit for occupation |
713
|
1150
|
1863
|
|
d.
| Occupied |
668
|
614
|
1282
|
|
e.
| Balance for Occupation |
45
|
536
|
581
|
The houses are laid down in Barracks type in a linear pattern consisting of 20 dwellings. Each barrack has bathroom and toilets co-located but are common to the community of men and women. There are houses with asbestos roofing as well as flat cement roof. The flooring is of cement and needs extensive repair. The size of each dwelling per family is 10 x 15 = 150 sq. ft.
Toilets/ Bathrooms
|
S.No
| Particulars |
Old
|
Makeshift
|
Total
|
|
a.
| Total No. of toilets |
713
|
300
|
1013
|
|
b.
| Under use |
72
|
110
|
182
|
|
c.
| Damage and requires extensive repairs |
641
|
190
|
831
|
Permanent toilets are available but due to due to disuse in previous years and vandalism, they have been blocked and cannot be used. Therefore makeshift toilets have been set up. The toilets were neglected, due to less occupancy during previous, and no preventive maintenance was carried out. Some of the toilets require extensive repairs to roof and seats. The bathrooms are in similar state of repair and there is no running water in the many of the bathrooms. So the inmates bathe in the open beside the wells. The refuges themselves have erected palm thatch partition for privacy.
Water facilities
|
S.No
| Particulars | Total |
|
a.
| Mother wells inter connected to each other | 04 |
|
b.
| Small wells functional but requiring repairs anddredging/cleaning | 73 |
|
c.
| Overhead tanks | 04 |
|
d.
| Taps | 434 |
People collect their water from taps and store it in vessels, buckets. Water taps are functional. Toilets and bathrooms have no water connections. The individuals have to carry the water.
Electricity
|
S.No
|
Particulars
| Total |
|
a
| Total no. of houses | 1863 |
|
b
| With electrical connections (no power) | 980 |
|
c
| Without connection | 883 |
There is no power supply most of the time. When supply is available power is supplied between 6 PM and 6 AM the next day. Each individual house has a single point only with no meter. It can take in one light bulb. No fans or plug point exits in any houses. Vandals have taken away many of the fittings and wiring. The streets are not lighted in the night.
Roads
The roads have been laid out and connect all accommodations. However they are in bad conditions and require extensive repairs.
Hygiene/Sanitation
Sullage is drained through open drainage channels. Sewage is drained through underground channels. All channels lead to a central well from which the material is pumped into the sea. Drainage exists and all the sullages are drained in a central well and then pumped out into the sea. There are a of total of 17 conservancy staff employed in the camp.
Health:
A 20-bedded hospital is located with in the camp but at a distance from the living accommodation. The hospital is well laid out. The following are the staff.
a. Doctors 03
b. Nurses 05
c. ANM 01
d. Lab Assistant 01
e. Scavenger 02
f. cook 01
The hospital has no electricity. Because of poor utilization in past years most equipment has not been maintained and is under repair. Any patient who becomes seriously ill is transferred to district hospital at Ramanathapuram. Others have to attend the out patient facility at the hospital if they fall sick. There is an ambulance which is under repair and does not run.
Malnutrition is visible among the children, among the fresh refugees as well as the old ones. The refugees suffer from the psychological effects of conflict, sudden migration, their refugee status, poverty, dependency on dole and doubts about their future.
Sustenance:
Each family is given the following stipend per month.
a. Head of the family Rs. 200/ per head
b. Next adult Rs. 144/ per head
c. First child Rs. 90/ per head
d. Next child Rs. 45/ per head
This is paid bi-monthly. A pay as well as physical check parade is held and each individual is paid. Presently they have permanent residents as well as those who are reporting to the camp.
Rations:
All refugees who are reporting now are under quarantine, and for them centralized food is provided in the quarantine area. All other inmates are given uncooked rice as per below:
a. Every male and female adult per head per day 500 gms
b. Every child per head per day
400 gms
They also get 5 liters of Kerosene per head per month
They have to purchase all other provisions at the Government provision store in the camp.
Livelihood:
Inmates are allowed to seek employment outside the camp in local villages, upon obtaining a permit to do so. They are allowed to leave the camp at 6 am and have to report back by 6 pm. They usually get employed as daily wage laborers at Rs. 20 or 30 per day. Those who are skilled can get employed as painters, carpenters and masons at a much better remuneration that makes them the "haves" in the camp. There are many young men in their teens who are married due to the social requirement in the conflict ridden areas in Sri Lankafor young girls to be married in their teens for safety and security. These young men move aimlessly around the camp without any work.
There is, thus, a social rift between the "haves" and the "have-nots"
Education:
Children have to pay Rs. 65 each for schooling and many children do not attend school as they cannot afford it.