Landslide survivors protest in Wayanad, demand revision of township beneficiary list
The draft list, prepared by a team led by the Wayanad Sub Collector, was published on Friday and included 388 families.
The draft list, prepared by a team led by the Wayanad Sub Collector, was published on Friday and included 388 families.
The draft list, prepared by a team led by the Wayanad Sub Collector, was published on Friday and included 388 families.
Kalpetta: Landslide survivors in Wayanad staged a protest on Saturday at the Meppadi panchayat office, alleging grave errors in the draft list of beneficiaries for the first phase of the township rehabilitation project. The draft list, prepared by a team led by the Wayanad Sub Collector, was published on Friday and included 388 families.
Protesters claimed that many families who had lost their houses entirely were excluded from the list, while some others were listed multiple times. The protest coincided with a visit by the Joint Director of the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) to discuss the irregularities with ward members.
Action council leaders and affected families demanded the presence of the District Collector or Sub Collector for direct discussions. They sought assurance that all genuinely affected families would be included in the first phase of rehabilitation.
Attamala ward member N K Sukumaran criticised the list as "riddled with errors," citing over 70 duplicate entries in the 11th ward (Mundakkai) alone. Sukumaran noted that guidelines required consultation with ward members before publishing the list, but discussions with LSGD officials only took place after the flawed list was released.
Meppadi Panchayat President K Babu echoed the frustrations, stating that the panchayat had prepared a comprehensive list of 502 beneficiaries with the support of all political parties. However, the district administration disregarded their efforts and published an inaccurate list. He also pointed out that families living in plantation labourers' cottages and rented homes in areas like Punchirimattam and School Road were left out entirely.
“The list is full of errors, including undeserving names, while genuinely affected families are missing. It’s unacceptable and has caused immense distress to those already suffering,” Babu said. The action council suggested that the administration must withdraw the published list and adopt the panchayat’s version.
Though Onmanorama tried to contact the Wayanad sub collector, she was not available to provide clarification. Meanwhile, the Kerala government has decided to convene a special Cabinet meeting on Sunday to discuss the issue.