MUNDAKKAI : Dilapidated buildings, an abandoned church, crumbling workers’ lanes, a damaged mosque and mangled remains of vehicles... The plantation area of Mundakkai wears a deserted look. Indicating the constant presence of wild animals, elephant dung is seen all over the road from Chooralmala Bailey bridge to Mundakkai.
The water in the river has turned muddy due to incessant rain and the flow has increased compared to the previous day. While boulders are seen scattered on the river bed from Punchirimattam to Chooralmala, the rocks have been cleared in the downstream areas of the Bailey bridge. The tea factory at Mundakkai is the only place with human presence.
On Vellarmala School Road two elderly farmers—Thankachan and Sivan— were seen trudging their way through the muddy road to Chooralmala.
“We both have one-acre farmlands in the upper reaches of the road. As there is no human presence, wild boars and elephants are destroying our cardamom and pepper crops. We have been living in rented houses at Chunkathara near Kalpetta since the landslide. We have to spend Rs 150 per day to visit the farmlands. And it is difficult to get passes from village office to enter the area. So we stay in a shed at the farmland from Monday to Friday, “ said Sivan.
The demarcation of red zone by the John Mathai Committee has landed the farmers in a quandary as they will not get houses at the rehabilitation township and will have to return to their land soon.
“The farmers are not willing to return to the hamlets as they fear there will be more landslides in future. The slopes of the Vellarimala hills have weakened and the loose soil may trigger a devastating debris flow. Besides, elephants are roaming the area and it will be tough for farmers to survive here, “ said ward member N P Sukumaran.
While Sukumaran, who was running a spices shop at Chooralmala, lost his shop and spices worth J60 lakh, many farmers and traders were reduced to penury by the disaster.
Seventy-year-old Annayya, who owned two acres of farmland near Vellarmala village office is driving an autorickshaw at Meppadi now.
“I used to get an income of J25 lakh a year from my farmland where I cultivated cardamom, pepper, coffee and arecanut. The landslide devastated my house and farmland and we stay in a rented house now. I earn a meagre amount of J300 per day,” he said.
Aboobecker, who owned a 14-room shopping complex lost all his earnings in the landslide. A kidney patient, he is seeking government aid to meet his treatment expenses. Aboobecker lost his wife Ayisha in the landslide. However his son Muneer managed to escape.
Around 100 farmers and traders at Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Attamala who suffered huge losses have not received any compensation.
Rehab may take over a year
At Elstone Estate near Kalpetta town, the work on the construction of the rehabilitation township is in full swing. The township with 410 houses and facilities like community hall, primary health centre, anganwadi etc is being developed at an estimated cost of J351.48 crore. The work on the township, spread over 44 hectares of land, started on April 16 and is expected to take one- and-a-half years to complete.
“We have cleared the ground for 150 houses and the foundation for 32 houses has been completed. The model house will be ready by July 30. It will have two bedrooms, two toilets, a living room, a kitchen, study area, work area, living room and sit-out. Each house will have an area of 1,000 sq ft,” said Mohamed Riyas, site engineer of Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society.
The Union government has allocated J247 crore for reconstruction of the landslide-hit hamlets which includes a 107-ft-long bridge with a width of 13 m at Chooralmala to replace the Bailey bridge. The allocation for the road and bridge is J34 crore. An allocation of J195 crore will be provided to clear the boulders and mud from the river bed. Roads and bridges will be constructed at Punchirimattam, Mundakkai and Attamala for which J18 crore has been allocated.
A 2.5-acre plot has been handed over for construction of Vellarmala village office and Mundakkai UP school. The complex will house a shelter home, an anganwadi and a Kudumbashree hall.