The victims of last year’s devastating floods and landslips in Kodagu are still to be fully rehabilitated as the houses meant to be constructed for them are yet to see the light of day even a year after the tragedy.
Even before houses were given to people whose dwellings were destroyed last August, another calamity struck the district almost in the same month this year, leaving many more families homeless. Around 1,000 houses are reported to have been damaged this year, making it a double blow for locals. Furthermore, 14 people died in the rain havoc.
There had not been much hue and cry over the delay in rehabilitation after last year’s disaster as the people whose houses were destroyed were being paid ₹10,000 as monthly rent. As many as 430 people have been living in rented houses since. The authorities have now identified the people whose houses were wiped out in this year’s floods, and a monthly rent of ₹5,000 will be paid to each of them.
But now, the wait to receive houses is expected to get longer as the housing projects may need some more time for completion.
As many as 450 houses are being constructed at Jamboor village — about 250 by the government under Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Ltd. and the rest by Infosys Foundation. At Madhenadu village, 80 houses are under construction while 35 are nearing completion at Karnangeri. The houses in these two places are almost ready for occupation, barring certain basic amenities such as drainage, water and electricity supply. A government official told The Hindu that the heavy rains this year have caused delayed the provision of basic amenities to these houses.
Minister S. Suresh Kumar, who visited Kodagu recently, said he would ensure that the houses that are ready are handed over to at least some of the victims on priority. He asked the authorities to speed up work at the remaining sites.
Many flood victims want houses allotted to them at Karnangeri and Madhe, which have 100-plus units put together. “At Karnangeri, there are 35 houses but around 100 people were seeking allotment. Likewise, 150 people were vying for 80 houses at Madhenadu. We want the government to resolve the issue since the people are not assenting to the local authorities’ way out,” the official added.
In some villages, victims have come forward to build houses on their own land and have sought money for it (₹9.85 lakh). “The construction of some houses has started and we have been releasing the money in stages,” the official said.
Out of 830 houses that are to be built for last year’s flood victims, 445 are under construction. And this year, another 1,000 or so houses are needed.