His house was completely destroyed in the calamity, forcing him to live in a rented home with limited resources. “Ten to 30 victims are still unidentified,” Subair said, pointing out the broader tragedy of the disaster.
Meanwhile, people who rented out spaces in the region said they have not received a single penny in compensation for the buildings destroyed in the landslide. While banks are now calling them about loans, the building owners are yet to get any clarity on what compensation they will get for their losses.
The building owners said the only assistance they received was Rs 25,000 from the building owners’ association. One of the building owners, Kareem, said his four-room quarters were washed away in the calamity. “While the names of those who lived on rent are on the new rehabilitation list, I have not received any assistance though I lost my building. I had taken a loan of `10 lakh from KSFE. I don’t know how I will repay it,” said Kareem.
Although a petition has been submitted to the government, no mention has been made of the building owners so far, they alleged. Meanwhile, the Wayanad district collector is expected to convene a meeting with the Disaster Management Authority to address these grievances. The district administration will also scrutinise the list prepared by the local panchayat to rectify mistakes. However, the victims remain resolute, asserting that only immediate corrective actions will restore their trust in the process.
Spl cabinet meet decides to expedite land acquisition
T’Puram: A special cabinet meeting on Sunday to discuss the rehabilitation of landslide-hit areas in Wayanad has decided to expedite the land acquisition process as part of the reconstruction efforts. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will hold discussions with 38 organisations that have come forward for the reconstruction initiative. The meeting also held preliminary discussions on the rehabilitation plan prepared by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan. The next cabinet meeting will take up the chief secretary’s rehabilitation plan for detailed discussions before finalising it. The cabinet has given in-principle approval to the KIIFB plan to construct single-storey 1,000 sq ft houses for those rendered homeless. The construction of the proposed township will be entrusted with an agency and a monitoring committee will be set up to track the implementation of the work. Steps will also be taken to clear legal hurdles associated with the land acquired for reconstruction.