‘Rehabilitation of Puthumala landslip victims on fast track’

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the Harsham project, a rehabilitation scheme for the victims of the Puthumala landslip in Wayanad district, will be completed in three months.

Mr. Vijayan was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the rehabilitation project at Poothakolly near Meppadi in the district on Tuesday through videoconferencing.

Firm steps adopted by the government to address the issues of the victims of natural calamities in the State had helped to reduce their woes to a certain extent, Mr. Vijayan said.

The project titled “Harsham” (Happiness And Resilience Shared Across Meppadi) under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative project, would be a model for the State as it would be executed with the active participation of the public and NGOs, Mr. Vijayan said. He praised the Meppadi grama panchayat for its active role in implementing the project and the Mathrubhumi Charitable trust which contributed seven acres of land worth ₹1.96 crore for

the project.

“As many as 95 families had lost their houses and properties in the landslip at Puthumala last year, of which 52 families will get houses under the project,” Mr.Vijayan said, adding that the remaining families were provided ₹10 lakh each to purchase and set up houses with the support of NGOs.

Apart from houses on seven cents of land, other infrastructures including community centre, health centre, reading room, nursery school, drinking water supply, and road facilities would also be set up with the support of six NGOs under the project.