Nearly two years after landslides brought death and destruction to their villages in Kerala’s Wayanad district, survivors on Sunday took a step towards a new life as they were given ownership of houses at a township built for their rehabilitation.
Kerala Chief Minister distributed title deeds to 178 families, who will stitch back together their displaced lives at the township in Wayanad’s Kalpetta, over 20 km from the Chooralmala and Mundakkai villages that were the worst hit when landslides struck on July 30, 2024.
The state government had acquired 64 hectares of land from Elston Tea Estate to build the Rs 299-crore township, which will have 410 houses in which around 1,600 people will live. The first phase, with 178 houses, was inaugurated on Sunday.
Designed with Wayanad’s terrain and climate factored in, each house in the township is constructed on seven cents (3,049 square feet) of land. They are single-storey, 1,000-square-foot units, but built with a foundation that allows owners to construct another floor if required. Each house has a master bedroom, two additional rooms, a sit-out, a living room, a study room, a dining area, a kitchen, and storage space.
For the families who saw their loved ones and homes disappear in the fury of the hills, the township represents more than the concrete houses — for them, it is a transplanting of their lives from shattered villages to the heart of a municipal town.
Queuing up in front of one of the counters where ownership documents were given to beneficiaries is Valsala, 58, who lost her husband, Sudarsan, and son, Lenin, in the landslides. Clutching the number of the allotted house — IG 76 — in the township, Valsala says, “It is a big relief for many like me. I went to the house allotted to me, and it’s almost ready; only some finishing work remains. Our house [in the village] was a two-storey one, but everything was washed away along with two lives.”
In her new house, Valsala will live with her college-going granddaughter, Lena. Her son Lenin’s widow had already got a house at Wayanad’s Mananthavady thanks to a charitable organisation.
An estate worker at Chooralmala, Valsala, who currently lives in a rented house, said grief lingers in the mind.
“Many of us who had lost our dear ones and generations of hard work in the village are now in the township, where we will live together, supporting one another. That is a big relief,” she said.
She said that over the last 17 months, she had been surviving with the government’s subsistence allowance of Rs 9,000 per month. The government also helped with Rs 6,000 a month for rent. “From now on, we have to find our own way. The estate that I worked at is far from the township,” she said.
Another beneficiary of the township, 50-year-old Vinodini, expressed similar sentiments.
“Since the day of the disaster, the government has supported us. My husband, Krishnan, and I were employed in an estate, which is 25 km away from the township. Till last month, we got a monthly allowance of Rs 18,000 (Rs 9,000 per head) from the government. Now, we are trying to find daily work in Kalpetta. Our son, Vishnu Prasad, lost his autorickshaw in the tragedy, but a kind-hearted person provided him with a new one,” said Vinodini.
CM Vijayan laid the foundation for the township on March 27 last year. Around 1,500 workers toiled round the clock to make the first phase of the township a reality in less than a year.
The township is more than an array of homes. Upon completion, it will have public roads, a health centre, an anganwadi, a market, and other common areas, such as children’s play areas, a sports club, common halls, an open-air theatre, and so on. There will also be a memorial to commemorate the tragedy.
On Sunday, apart from title deeds, the house allottees received ownership certificates for their houses, as well as power and water connections. The government will pay the utility bills of all the houses until June.
The disaster and aftermath
The landslides killed 298 people, completely destroyed 59 houses, and left hundreds of other houses unfit for habitation.
In the immediate aftermath, 2,569 people from 728 families were sheltered in 17 relief camps across Wayanad. Food, clothing, drinking water and essential services were provided. Recognising the difficulty of prolonged camp life, the government prioritised relocation to rented houses and other safe homes, with the rent coming from the exchequer.
Besides, livelihood assistance of Rs 9,000 per month for one member of 752 families and Rs 18,000 per month for two members of 507 families were distributed since the tragedy. As many as 21 children who had lost both their parents were given an assistance of Rs 2.10 crore. Around 858 families are still given a monthly food coupon of Rs 1,000.
