Survivors Try Luck With Eateries; Many Give Up, Some Carry On

Farmers in Attamala, Punchirimattam, Padavetti, Rattapadi and Gopimoola, who lost around 320 hectares of farmland, have not received any compensation

- LESLY JOSEPH @Kalpetta

SOFIYA Jayan, a resident of Chooralmala School Road, worked as a tea garden laborer at the Vanarani Estate in Mundakkai. Her husband, Jayan, was a daily wager. That was before the landslide ripped through the region. Now, the couple runs a tea stall—named 'Chooralmala Thattukada'—on the Kalpetta Bypass Road.

"The landslide has taken away our livelihood. We had been receiving work through connections with our neighbors and other villagers. As we have lost our neighborhood itself, it's hard to find a job in this new place. We searched a lot for jobs, but finally decided to start a tea stall," Sofiya told TNIE.