Lives fallen off-track for residents near Kumbalam railway station
KOCHI: For Janson Jose, who lives near the Kumbalam railway station, life has been worrisome ever since his ancestral land was included in the Railways’ expansion project. He cannot sell the land or build anything on it, and of late, it is waterlogged constantly due to poorly constructed drains nearby. When his repeated request for compensation fell on deaf ears, Janson moved to a rented house with his family.
Around 15 families in the area are suffering a similar fate. In the 90s, the Railways decided to acquire 35 metres on either side of the existing track near the Kumbalam railway station and double it.
After a decade, it finally decided to compensate the landowners, but they came out in protest because the amount offered was too less.
“When the Railways first acquired the land, I bought some more land attached to my ancestral land since the plot was very small. The track was functional till 1989 and we thought the expansion would add value to our land. But the plots have been frozen since 2006,” said Janson.
Mass petition
- The Railway Development Beneficiary Land Owners Action Council sent a mass petition requesting the Centre and Minister of Railways to intervene. Their immediate requirements are:
- Compensation amount equivalent to the construction cost of a new house.
- A full refund of the amount spent for rent by each family until the new homes are constructed.
- Employment to those who lost land and houses in the expansion
- Acquire the 35 metres of land as promised earlier
- Alignment of tracks as decided earlier so as to not affect more families
- Construction of a parallel road for transportation and a canal to redirect stagnant water
Unfair price and rules
“The red iron bars placed on the sides of the tracks bifurcate the frozen plots. Despite repeated reassurances, they have not made any efforts to acquire the land. Now the authorities are saying they are taking only one and a half metres on both sides. We want them to take up the entire land area as promised because after years of stalling, the land prices have reduced and we cannot sell it to outside parties now,” said Saju.
In nearby areas, land costs around D6 lakh per cent, while Railways is only ready to offer the displaced families Rs 1 lakh. “It is very difficult for families to even lay the foundation for a house with that money. Scheduled Caste families with extremely low incomes live here. We need the government to intervene and make the transition smooth for them,” said K B Mathew, chairman of the Railway Development Beneficiary Land Owners Action Council.
Waterlogging trouble
Saju Palathinkal, another resident, said when the tracks were laid, enough sluices were not constructed, causing waterlogging in the entire area. The residents have to wade through knee-deep water around the year to cross the railway track. Gradually, the surrounding land became wetlands devoid of vegetation or construction. Since the area is surrounded by two bridges — the Kumbalam-Nettoor bridge and the Aroor-Kumbalam bridge — the rainwater also seeps into the area. A small road with a drainage facility could
resolve this, say residents.