Kerala to spend ₹750-cr to rehabilitate Wayanad victims

KERALA Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday unveiled the project plan to build two townships in Wayanad to rehabilitate the victims of the July 30, 2024 landslides.

- T MURUGANANDHAM @Chennai

Estimated to cost ₹750 crore, the townships will come up on 58.5 hectares and 48.96 hectares of the Nedumbala Estate in Kottapadi village and Elstone Estate in Kalpetta village, respectively, in Wayanad. The cabinet decision comes five days after the Kerala High Court dismissed the pleas of Harrisons Malayalam Ltd and Elstone Tea Estates Ltd against land acquisition.

According to the project plan, each family will get either five cents of land at Elstone Estate or 10 cents at Nedumbala Estate, calculated on the basis of the land value. Each house will have 1,000 sq ft built-up area.

No timeline has been specified for the project but Pinarayi said the government would strive to complete it as early as possible. "Activities are ongoing so that the final list of disaster-affected families is released by January 25," he said.