WAYANAD: The Kerala government provided a new beginning for 178 families affected by the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide by handing over new homes on Sunday.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the initial phase of the Wayanad Model Township at Elton Estate, marking the end of a long displacement for families who had resided in temporary and rented accommodations.
Vijayan presented the township, equipped with essential amenities, to the beneficiaries, highlighting it as a “testament to Kerala’s commitment to building back better”.
During this first phase, homes were allocated to families whose residences were entirely destroyed in the July 30, 2024 landslide disaster. The CM also distributed land titles to the recipients.
He informed that five acres of land near Meppadi village was acquired to rehabilitate 13 Scheduled Tribe families who had been left isolated following the disaster, and the land pattas were also distributed during the event.
Remembering the tragedy, Vijayan paid tribute to the lives lost in the landslides and remarked that the event carried both relief and painful memories of those they had lost.
The township, developed on land acquired under the Disaster Management Act, aims to rehabilitate 410 families in total, with current estimates suggesting that 402 families, comprising 1,662 people, will eventually inhabit the area.
The township is divided into five zones with 35 clusters, each containing eight to twenty homes surrounding a central green space, connected by a 5.5-metre-wide internal road. Each family has been allotted seven cents of land with individual pattas.
This initiative goes beyond mere housing; it is a comprehensive rehabilitation project designed to offer improved living conditions, aligned with the ‘Build Back Better’ approach to disaster recovery, Vijayan noted.
The township includes a community hall, disaster shelter, football ground, disaster memorial, shops, material collection facility, check dam, water body, an underground power distribution network, drainage system, and a 9.5-lakh-litre overhead water tank.
Each house features a 2 kW solar power system for electricity generation.
As part of the infrastructure, ten sewage treatment plants have been established, ensuring that homes and public buildings are built to withstand natural disasters with reinforced concrete structures and potential for future vertical expansion.
The Chief Minister emphasized that despite numerous challenges and negative campaigns, construction was completed successfully.
Thousands of workers and officials engaged in meticulous planning and strict oversight to ensure timely completion of the project.
Highlighting disaster relief measures, he mentioned that fully equipped camps were set up immediately following the disaster to provide food, medical aid, and counseling.
A Cabinet sub-committee was stationed in the district to supervise operations.
Vijayan stated that his government had allocated Rs 6,000 per month as rent assistance to the affected families, totaling over Rs six crore to date.
Livelihood support of Rs 17.2 crore, relief assistance of Rs 13 crore, and emergency aid of Rs 1.3 crore has also been provided to survivors.
Additionally, Rs two crore was allocated to 21 children who lost their parents, and 858 families continue to receive monthly food vouchers worth Rs 1,000, he added.
The Chief Minister pointed out that Rs 773.98 crore was contributed to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund for victims of the Wayanad disaster.
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh donated Rs 10 crore each, while Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan contributed Rs 5 crore each, according to the CM.
The state also took on the responsibility of settling debts of Rs 18.75 crore for disaster-affected families, covering 1,620 loans from 555 beneficiaries across various banks, he stated.
Critisizing the central government, Vijayan claimed that multiple requests for loan waivers went unanswered.
The Chief Minister expressed that there’s been an effort to undermine the rehabilitation process through misinformation and legal obstacles, but the government remains resolute.
“The Kerala model of compassion and solidarity, where communities unite to support each other, has again gained global attention,” he said, emphasizing that the township stands as evidence of the government’s commitment to restoring lives with dignity.
He assured that all landslide survivors will be effectively rehabilitated before the next monsoon season, with an action plan already in place.
Revenue Minister P Rajan, Tourism Minister P A Mohammed Riyas, MLAs, and various other representatives and officials participated in the ceremony.
