Resentment among landslide victims over land allocation

Action committee says they cannot accept decision to allot just 5 cents to build house in township project in Elstone estate; Min says will consider their demand

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Kalpetta

THE victims of the Wayanad landslides have expressed their resentment over "inadequate allocation of land for building houses" in the township project to come up in Kalpetta.

Estimated to cost ₹750 crore, the state government has started the process to set up townships on 58.5 hectares and 48.96 hectares of the Nedumbala Estate in Meppadi panchayat and Elstone Estate in Kalpetta municipality, respectively.

As per the government decision, houses will be constructed on five-cent plots in Elstone estate and 10 cents in Nedumbala. However, the action committee of the disaster victims said they cannot accept the decision to allot just five cents of land to build a house.

"The people in the disaster-affected areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala have been living in vast lands with farming. The land allotment for houses should be increased to 10 cents like in Nedumbala. However, we are fine with the selection of spots -- in Kalpetta and Nedumbala," said Shajimon, a Chooralmala native who is now residing in Ambalavayal panchayat and the convenor of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala Action Committee.