MEPPADI: During a house allotment event for survivors of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide disaster at MSA Auditorium on Friday, Valsala, a plantation worker from Chooralmala employed with Harrisons Malayalam Ltd, was filled with emotion as she participated in the draw.
This allotment allowed the first group of 178 beneficiaries to choose from houses constructed under the township initiative in Kalpetta, with participants selecting slips that contained three-digit codes representing zone, cluster, and plot numbers.
“I couldn’t hold back my tears when I drew the lot. Memories of my 35-year-old son overwhelmed me. Not a day goes by without crying for him and my husband, both of whom perished in the disaster,” Valsala shared.
The event featured the presentation of title deeds for the newly allocated houses and seven-cent plots, marking a poignant moment for many survivors who have been living in temporary accommodations for the past 18 months.
Jayesh, who lost his home and many relatives in the tragedy, expressed relief at finally obtaining stable housing. “For the past year and a half, we’ve been in rentals. Now we finally have a place to call our own,” he stated.
Later that day, Jayesh and others visited the township at Elstone Estate to inspect their new homes, with Jayesh noting, “My house is No. 249 in Zone 4. We’re thrilled that after months of being scattered throughout the district, we can reunite as a community.”
For siblings C N Sudhakaran and C N Sathyan, whose houses were among those destroyed, the lottery brought them back together as neighbors, with both receiving adjacent houses in the township.
The minister for SC/ST and backward classes welfare, O R Kelu, announced that financial assistance would be provided to those who lost their shops and businesses in the disaster during the ceremony.
It was noted that houses chosen by beneficiaries through the lottery cannot be exchanged. In this first phase, a total of 178 families who completely lost their homes due to the disaster will receive houses within the township. All 410 houses have been assigned unique digital identifiers, with the draw allocating 115 houses in Zone 1, 30 in Zone 3, and 33 in Zone 4.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is set to officially hand over the house keys to survivors on February 25. However, survivors will need to wait a couple more weeks before moving in, as construction on the remaining houses and roads is still ongoing.
