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The sun was blazing as 45-year-old Thahira visited her new house in Wayanad Township on March 22. It was built by the Kerala government after the devastating 2024 landslide. She’s accompanied by her friend Sunitha, who has also received a house in the township. They just want to see their new homes again. Thahira makes it a point to visit at least twice a week.
It’s a part of her healing process.
“I come here very often because it’s the only way I feel relief,” she told TNM.
Thahira lost her entire family in the landslide, including her 11-year-old son and parents. Her husband had passed away when their son was just a year old. Thahira used to live in Chooralmala town.
When the landslide hit, she was nearly swept away with her family while sleeping. But her nightdress snagged on an iron rod, saving her life. Eventually, rescuers found her, and she was hospitalised for about 15 days.
Thahira now lives alone in a rented house in Kalpetta, nearly 3 to 4 km away from the township.
“Whenever I feel not okay, I run to the township. Because I have nothing else left. I don’t even have any good memories left. All I have is this house. It’s my only hope,” Thahira said.
Like her, the houses in the township are a hope for many survivors.
Thahira was one of 178 families who received homes in Kalpetta township on March 1. It is located approximately 25 to 30 km from the landslide-affected areas. The Kerala government had proposed to build 410 houses, along with a medical centre, a park, and other facilities on around 159 acres of land.
178 houses were handed over by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as part of the first batch on March 1.
But Thahira and other families are unable to move in as some construction and cleaning work is pending. Plumbing remains incomplete in some houses. Many others still have construction material piled up instead. And for a few, access is difficult, as the yards and pathways are yet to be cleaned.
As Wayanad moves towards the 2026 Assembly elections, rehabilitation has once again become a central political issue. The CPI(M)-led LDF is projecting the township as a key developmental achievement. Meanwhile, the Congress is under scrutiny over its unfulfilled promise of 100 houses and questions about the funds collected for the project.
Two years after the deadly tragedy, TNM revisited Wayanad to understand how far rehabilitation has progressed, how survivors are rebuilding their lives and what their needs still are.
Wayanad has often leant towards the Congress. It is currently represented in the Lok Sabha by Priyanka Gandhi and was earlier represented by Rahul Gandhi.
However, Assembly elections are different. The three Assembly constituencies of Kalpetta, Mananthavady and Sultan Batheri have swung both ways. For instance, the Left won Mananthavady in the last two Assembly polls. Mananthavady and Sultan Bathery are also reserved for Dalit and Adivasi communities, respectively.
Rebuilding lives
Like Thahira, many other survivors frequently visit the township to reflect on life and reassure themselves that new beginnings are possible.
Sisily lost her home and is still struggling to recover from the trauma. “I can't sleep at night and need medication," she said. The government has not yet allocated her a house, but her name is on the list for allocation soon.
“It's a good move. Because I can't even dream of building a house in Kalpetta town,” she said.
Thahira, who is a tailor, is now hoping to open a shop near the township after the move. “I need to build my life from scratch,” she said.
The 178 families, who were on top of the list, as their homes had been completely damaged, have decided to move into the new township together after the remaining work is done. A month after the inauguration, they are still waiting and hoping to move in by the last week of April.
Many others have not been included in any lists yet, leaving them uncertain. Their only source of relief comes from the monthly financial assistance provided by the state government, along with food kits and other essential aid.
Jayamma, a survivor, lives with her husband in the Karappuzha government quarters. “We hope our names will be included in the next list. For now, we are living off the money the government provides,” she explained.
Many survivors who relocated across Wayanad currently rely solely on the state government’s assistance. The relocation has made it difficult for them to find jobs.
“My family used to work on tea plantations. We don’t find jobs here as we did back home,” Jayamma said.
A new township
After the landslide, the Kerala government constituted a five-member expert committee led by John Mathai to assess the habitability and safety of the impacted regions. The panel's report identified approximately 107.5 hectares of land as unsafe for human habitation. The committee identified high-risk zones which it recommended should be kept entirely free of residential or commercial buildings.
According to news reports, the committee directly recommended the scale and eligibility criteria for the government's house allotment process by scientifically demarcating ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ zones. The committee shifted the rehabilitation strategy from simple house replacement to a large-scale relocation project.
When the government decided to build a township, many organisations contributed to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF), including CPI(M) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Congress and Youth Congress said that they would construct additional homes.
After the landslide, the survivors had two options: they could accept a house in the government-built township or receive Rs 15 lakhs as compensation.
Mansoor, a cable TV operator in Mundakki, lost both his business and his house in the landslide. “I had a few debts, so I opted for the Rs 15 lakhs and the IUML’s house,” he said.
IUML promised a total of 105 houses. They have currently completed and handed over 51. They have also allocated houses to those who are not on any official lists but are unable to live in the landslide-affected areas.
Rajeswari and her family, who previously worked on the Mundakkai tea estate, will soon move into one such house built by IUML. They now live in government quarters in Karapuzha. “We can’t even go back to our old house because the area has completely fallen apart. Since our names aren’t in the government’s list, the IUML provided a house,” she said.
Meanwhile, confusion still persists regarding the Congress's and Youth Congress’s plans to build 100 and 30 houses, respectively.
Congress’ promises and confusion
The Congress announced plans to build 100 houses for the survivors, but 19 months later, they have only purchased the land and laid the foundation stone.
On February 26, Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi laid the foundation stone at Kunnampetta in Meppadi panchayat, nearly 11 km away from the town. The homes are expected to be approximately 1,100 square feet, built on 8 cents of land, as per reports.
Both the IUML and Congress raised funds through major crowdfunding campaigns. But the Congress is yet to disclose the total funds collected or when the houses are expected to be completed.
The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) had previously launched a mobile app called ‘Stand with Wayanad INC’ to collect funds. The app is no longer available on Google Play. While it can still be downloaded on iPhones, the app shows no details about the funds or progress in construction. The CPI(M) has now raised concerns about the lack of transparency.
Reacting to the CPI(M), senior Congress leader VD Satheesan said, “A project’s financial statement is presented only after the project is completed. Not when the CPI(M) asks for it.”
Speaking with TNM, VD Satheesan explained the reason behind the delay. “The government took one year to acquire the land. We hoped they would allocate a specific space for Congress’s houses on that land. However, after a year, they informed us that we would need to contribute our funds to a common pool and that there would be no designated area for Congress’ houses. We rejected that proposal.”
When asked about the funding, he responded that they would present it to the public after completing the project.
Speaking with TNM, Congress’ Kalpetta MLA T Siddique said the party is focused on providing housing for individuals left off the government’s list. “The government has not finalised the list even after 19 months. Why is there such a delay?” he asked. “We are taking responsibility for these individuals.”
Siddique also said that the first phase of the Congress’ housing project will be completed in six months. “There is no competition or conflict between the Congress party, the government, or other organisations. This is a rehabilitation project, and we are committed to completing 100 houses,” he added.
But confusion persists as some local Congress leaders in Wayanad told TNM that the list of individuals set to receive houses has already been decided.
In August 2024, then Youth Congress president Rahul Mamkootathil began collecting funds for the construction of 30 houses. However, no further details were made available regarding the land acquisition or the amount they collected for this project. Rahul Mamkootathil was expelled in 2025 after multiple sexual assault complaints were registered against him.
In October 2025, the new president, OJ Janeesh, reiterated the Youth Congress’ promise. However, there have been no further details or concrete announcements.
Meanwhile, on April 2, Rahul Mamkoottathil claimed that the Congress collected around Rs 4.5 crore through the app and that the Youth Congress collected Rs 1.05 crore, which they handed over to KPCC.
What does Wayanad want?
Apart from rehabilitation, Wayanad's voters want the state government to focus on transportation, development and the health sector, among other issues.
Across all three Assembly constituencies, one issue came up repeatedly: Traffic jams at Thamarassery Ghat and the lack of a medical college for Wayanad district.
Though the Mananthavady district hospital was converted into a medical college to fill this gap, the facility isn’t fully functional, residents said.
Many are forced to travel to Kozhikode Medical College even during an emergency. The heavy traffic at Thamarassery Ghat worsens this situation as people are often unable to reach Kozhikode on time.
“Wayanad is treated like another state, not a district,” said Shaman, an auto driver in Kalpetta. “In Wayanad, we don’t really get many essential facilities, like a medical college, railway connectivity, or other important services. Candidates seek votes and leave. Nothing actually gets done afterwards,” he added.
Jineesh, who works as a carpenter, emphasised the importance of a properly working medical college and said, “If we have any health emergencies, we need to reach Kozhikode. When I accidentally cut my hand on a machine, we had to go to a big private hospital here. It says ‘medical college’ on the board, but it doesn’t function like one.”
Another resident, Babu, said, “There is a ban on night travel on the Gundalpetta-Mysore-Batheri road. It would be better if this ban were lifted and the road restored to its previous condition. Or an alternative route must be provided," he added.
Many also noted the continuous human-animal conflict in Wayanad and sought an end to that. “Politicians should take precautionary measures. Whether it is the state government, MLA, or any minister, strict measures should be taken to control the problems caused by wild animals. Facilities like water sources should be created within the forests because animals usually come into human settlements when they are hungry or thirsty,” said Muthaleeb, an auto driver in Kalpetta.
Inputs from Megha Mukundan