Wayanad: The government is actively preparing for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the township project dedicated to rehabilitating those displaced by the massive landslides at Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Wayanad. Amid these preparations, 235 out of the 242 beneficiaries selected for the first phase of the project submitted their consent letters to accept the rehabilitation package on Tuesday evening.

Although the initial deadline for submitting consent letters was Monday, March 24, it was extended to Tuesday, March 25.

In the first phase, 170 families opted for houses, while 65 chose a compensation package of ₹15 lakh. The compensation beneficiaries will either relocate independently or may have received assurances of housing from other agencies. Officials in charge of the project are reaching out to the remaining seven families listed in the first phase.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lay the foundation stone for the township project at Elstone Estate in Kalpetta at 4 pm on Thursday. Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi will also attend the ceremony.

Hearing for second and third phases
The government has started the hearing for the 160 families enlisted in the second (List 2A: 87 families) and third phases (List 2B: 73 families) began at the Civil Station on Tuesday. So far, a total of 81 families—48 from List 2A and 33 from List 2B—have officially given their consent to join the rehabilitation package.

The district administration has asked beneficiaries to submit their consent letters within 10 days. After completing all necessary procedures, authorities plan to publish the final list on April 20.

Deadline for appeals extended
On Tuesday, the government issued an order extending the deadline for submitting appeals against the beneficiary list from March 24 to March 30. This decision was made in response to complaints from many deserving families whose applications were rejected due to stringent criteria.

1,000 Sq. Ft. houses
Initially, each family was promised 10 cents of land, which was later reduced to 8 cents before being finalised at 7 cents. Each house will have a 1,000 sq. ft. area, including a living room, study room, two bedrooms, a sit-out, a dining hall, a kitchen, and a store room. The title deed for the land cannot be transferred for the next eight years, except to direct descendants. The house and compensation package will be jointly issued to both husband and wife. In the case of orphaned children, ownership will be registered in their names when they reach adulthood.

Govt settles ₹26.5 crore compensation to Elstone Estate 
Wayanad District Collector DR Meghasree informed the media that the state government acquired 64 hectares of land from Elstone Tea Estate for the township project. The government has deposited ₹26.5 crore in the High Court as compensation for the acquired land.

“The High Court has permitted us to conduct the foundation stone laying ceremony by symbolically taking over the land,” Meghasree said. 

“The order for the land takeover reached us only on Monday night,” she added.

Elstone Estate is located in Kalpetta Municipality, where the government plans to develop a model village. The Uralungal Labour Contract Co-Operative Society (ULCCS), which has been entrusted with the project, is set to begin construction as soon as the land is officially handed over.

ULCCS representatives expressed confidence in completing the housing construction by December. However, they noted that the completion of the entire township will take longer.