Thiruvananthapuram:The Kerala government on Wednesday approved a comprehensive rehabilitation project for survivors of devastating landslides in Wayanad district that killed over 200 people last July. The project involves setting up two townships to provide a safe and sustainable living environment for those affected by the disaster.
Addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the two townships, proposed in two selected plantation estates in Kalpetta and Kottappady, would have all basic amenities, including houses, schools, health centres, anganwadis, markets, parking areas, playgrounds, drinking water, sanitation facilities, and so on.
The CM addressed the press conference to detail the proposed project, which, he said, would be completed in a time-bound manner. He said rehabilitation does not mean just providing a house but it would compromise all possible livelihood means to help the survivors to move on with their lives.
All those who come forward with a helping hand would be made part of the project, he said, adding that all such assistance would be coordinated to complete the project. The CM also indicated the difficulty in finding land in Wayanad in a way to rehabilitate all the survivors in a single place.
"The Nedumbala Estate in Kottappady village and Elstone Estate in Kalpetta village were selected for setting up the proposed townships," Vijayan said, adding that the land was decided to be taken over as per the Disaster Management Act 2005. According to the difference in land value and price, a family, being rehabilitated in Elstone and Nedumbala Estates, would get five and 10 cents each respectively.
Steps are on to release the final list of landslide-affected families by January 25, he said, adding that a microplan survey was also carried out to ensure them livelihood means in various sectors, including agriculture, animal husbandry, micro-entrepreneurship and so on. Even after being rehabilitated to the townships, the ownership of their land in landslide-hit areas would continue to be vested in them only, he said.