Care home residents in Koyilandy living in fear again

Asha Niketan faces danger as NH-66 bypass road construction threatens property, leaving mentally challenged residents at risk.

As the dark clouds of the South Western monsoon hover over the skies, members of Asha Niketan, a care-giving home for mentally challenged persons at Nandi Bazar near Koyilandy in Kozhikode district, are living in fear again.

The western side of the property was vertically cut for about seven metres without taking scientific or technical precautions for the ongoing construction of the National Highway-66 bypass road linking Nandi and Chengottukavu, claim its authorities. A building standing on the edge of this portion was partially acquired for the work. The remaining part is now on the verge of collapse and is standing in a precarious condition. Asha Niketan is run by FMR (India), a charitable organisation, and there are around 70 inmates at the care home now.

O.K. Premanandan, chairman, Asha Niketan, told The Hindu that the contractor and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) authorities were yet to provide any kind of safety steps to protect the boundaries of their property. “Portions of the property standing on the edge of the road are now sliding down. Soil erosion is happening because of the absence of any kind of protective wall on either side of the acquired property. This has been experienced during heavy showers for the past few years,” he said. The Asha Niketan functionaries said that when heavy rains lashed the area between May 23 and May 31, the mentally challenged inmates had to be shifted to other buildings for safety.

Mr. Premanandan said that the bypass road had divided the property into multiple portions. “When the land was being acquired, we were promised that the service road to Nandi Bazar would be extended to reach the facility. However, the narrow side road leading to the care-giving home was demolished during the work. There is no access from the main road to the residential buildings and other facilities on the eastern side,” he said.

Three of the 10 acres owned by the care home were acquired for the work. The road is now passing through the middle of the property, isolating the eastern portion, which has residential buildings, an administrative office, a workshop, classrooms, and a cow shed, among others.