Wayanad landslides: Rehabilitation package to include single-storey 1,000 sq ft houses

Single-storeyed houses of 1,000 square feet each will be constructed as part of the state government's rehabilitation package for the survivors of the massive landslides that hit Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Wayanad on July 30.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan conveyed the decision at an all-party meeting in Thiruvananthapuram. "The foundation of each house will be strengthened to accommodate a second storey should the occupants choose to construct one in the future," the chief minister said.

The chief minister said all the houses in the package will be constructed in the same manner without compromising on quality. The first phase of the package will focus on those who lost their homes. The second phase will consider the rehabilitation of the survivors who had to shift from the uninhabitable areas.

The rehabilitation zone will have common basic amenities, and sources of livelihood will also be part of the package. Women will be trained in jobs they wish to undertake, and those who want to do business out of rented facilities will also be considered in the package.
The government has also decided to rehabilitate those who lost their houses in the landslide at Vilangad in Kozhikode district.

The government said the banking sector's common position was to write off the dues for loans availed by the survivors. However, the bank management will take a final call. A government release said that the Union Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank will be contacted in this regard.

The state government said experts will study the possibility of reconstructing the school in Chooralmala that sustained significant damages in the landslide and remains in a dangerous state. "Schools will also be ensured in the rehabilitation zone," a government release said.

Besides cabinet ministers, the leader of the opposition, V D Satheesan, and BJP state president K Surendran were among the participants in the meeting.