Kerala govt announces township in secure location to rehabilitate Wayanad landslide survivors

PTI, Aug 3, 2024, 6:23 PM IST

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Saturday announced that a township will be established in a secure area to rehabilitate those displaced by the catastrophic landslide that occurred in the Mundakkai region of Wayanad district.

During a press conference here, Vijayan said a comprehensive rehabilitation process is planned and will be implemented swiftly.

Vijayan said various offers have come from the global community to provide land and construct houses.

A ‘Help for Wayanad’ cell has been formed under Joint Land Revenue Commissioner A Geetha IAS to coordinate these offers.

“The government plans a comprehensive rehabilitation process for the survivors, aiming for swift completion. A new, safer area will be identified for constructing a township. The Education Minister will visit Wayanad to ensure that children’s education is not disrupted,” Vijayan told the reporters here.

Detailing the offers received, the CM said Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan has informed that senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will construct 100 houses for rehabilitation.

Satheesan will be directly in charge of 25 of these houses, Vijayan said.

“Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has offered to construct 100 houses. I have called him to express our gratitude,” the Kerala CM said.

Sobha Realty Group and Kozhikode-based Business Club have also offered to construct 50 houses each, he added.

Vijayan listed out the donations made to the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF), which includes celebrities and senior Congress politicians.

As rescue operations in the landslide-hit areas of the district entered fifth day, rescuers unearthed more bodies and body parts, taking the death toll to 215, with around 206 people still reported missing.