MALAPPURAM: The first phase of houses built for the Mundakkai-Chooralmala disaster survivors in Wayanad will be handed over in February, with work progressing at a rapid pace, Revenue Minister K Rajan said on Monday. He was speaking to the media while arriving for the final inspection of the rehabilitation township being built by the government in Kalpetta.
The venue for the inauguration ceremony has been finalised, marking what the minister described as a significant milestone in the state’s construction history.
He said strong organisational planning had been the project’s key strength, with plans revised at various stages to overcome challenges. At present, around 1,700 workers are engaged at the site, and more skilled labourers will be inducted in the coming days.
The township is being developed on acquired land at the Elston Estate near the Kalpetta bypass to rehabilitate families affected by the disaster. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had recently said it was a matter of pride that those who survived the tragedy could be brought together and provided with the best possible housing.
The project comprises 410 houses along with associated infrastructure. Designed in harmony with nature, the township is planned as 35 clusters with state-of-the-art facilities and disaster-resilient features. Each cluster includes common spaces for children’s play and community interaction.
Other facilities include 11.4 km of internal roads, an underground electricity distribution network, a 9.5-lakh-litre drinking water storage tank with a distribution system, and a 1,000-litre drinking water tank for each house.