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Fifty-one families who survived the 2024 Wayanad landslide officially moved into new houses provided by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Monday, April 27, in Meppadi Panchayat, near Kalpetta town. The event was attended by senior IUML leaders Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal and PK Kunhalikutty.
According to the beneficiaries, the houses were handed over nearly one and a half months ago, and many were waiting for Ramadan and students' exams to be over.
Following the landslide, the IUML promised a total of 105 houses and purchased 11 acres of land in Meppadi Panchayat. Currently, 51 houses have been completed and handed over. Each measures 1,060 sq ft and has three bedrooms, a dining hall, a kitchen, and a work area.
Speaking to the media, PK Firos, the General Secretary of the Muslim Youth League (MYL), the youth wing of the IUML, said, "It’s a proud moment. We are extremely happy that, as a political party, the League has been able to keep its promise. As a political party, we are demonstrating this to the world itself as a model,” he added.
After the landslide, the government gave survivors two options. They could either accept the houses provided by the government in the government’s township project, or accept houses from other organisations by accepting the government’s compensation of Rs 15 lakhs. Most of the beneficiaries in the IUML houses accepted the compensation money and opted for the houses given by them. The IUML has also allocated houses to those who are not on any official lists but are unable to live in the landslide-affected areas.
As per Mansoor, a beneficiary of IUML, basic amenities and furniture were also provided in the house. “I don’t know how to express my happiness. I'm really happy to move from the rented house to our own house, finally,” he added.
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 had told TNM earlier.
Meanwhile, the government’s township project of 410 houses has completed construction of 178 houses and handed over the keys to the beneficiaries. However, people are unable to move due to pending work. At the same time, the Congress has not yet begun construction of the promised 100 houses.
On February 26, Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi laid the foundation stone for this project at Kunnampetta in the Meppadi panchayat, which is located nearly 11 km away from the town.