Rehabilitation mission sought for landslide survivors at Chooralmala

Environmental groups in Wayanad urge government for landslide survivors' rehabilitation, financial aid, and sustainable policies for the district.

A collective of environmental organisations and people’s representatives in the district has urged the government to constitute a rehabilitation mission for the survivors of the Chooralmala landslides.

Wayanad district panchayat president Samshad Marakkar said rehabilitation was not a bounty or generosity of a government but the right of the survivors.

Writing off loans by the State government, instead of announcing moratorium, was the need of the hour, Mr. Makrakkar said, adding that special packages should be executed for lone members of families who survived the catastrophe.

The township project of the government for the survivors should be restricted to those who choose it, while others should be provided houses, land for cultivation, and jobs, he said. Each family should be given a minimum financial assistance of ₹50 lakh, he added.

Wayanad Chamber of Commerce president Johny Pattani said relief shelters should be constructed under each civic body to shift victims during natural calamities. Close to 4,000 families residing in landslide-prone areas in the district should be shifted to safer places on a war footing, he said.

The multi-crore tunnel project, which connects Wayanad and Kozhikode districts, should be cancelled as it would invite another tragedy in the hill district, he said.

Rice cultivation should be promoted in the district, and the government should draft polices for the purpose, Meenangadi grama panchayat president K.E. Vinayan said. The meet also sought a ban on the operation of private resorts in ecologically fragile areas and hilltops, besides conducting a carrying capacity study to restrict the inflow of tourists.