THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With local body elections around the corner, the LDF led corporation council is under tremendous pressure to execute the long-pending housing project planned at the Corporation-owned land at Valiyathura - the coastal hamlet severely ruined by heavy sea erosion. Nearly eight years have gone by since the housing scheme to rehabilitate 32 fisherman families was launched by the then UDF government.
Despite the allocation of funds, the Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation(KSCADC) couldn’t execute the project owing to an ongoing dispute over the land earmarked for the purpose. The state government had sanctioned around Rs 2.8 crore for the housing project which has been lying unutilised for several years. KSCADC could construct only eight out of the 32 homes planned.
KSCADC managing director P I Sheik Pareeth said the Thiruvananthapuram corporation has earmarked a 42-cent land for the purpose. However, later, a school located nearby requested for the land in exchange for another plot which caused the delay. “Now the civic body has to take a call and give us land for executing the project. We have to also assign a new contractor,” said Sheik Pareeth.
Valiyathura councillor Sheeba Patrick said that the state government has to issue an order in this regard. “The school authorities have offered another plot in exchange for the land owned by the civic body. The land offered by the school has more area and better road access compared to the earmarked land. Funds are available for rehabilitation and land is available but there is a huge delay in the process,” said Sheeba.
She said that the beneficiaries of the same scheme were given homes later under Life Mission and the new land would benefit hundreds of displaced families.
Town Planning Standing Committee chairman Palayam Rajan, who visited the sites and reported to the council, said that the recent council has given the nod for the land exchange. “We are waiting for the government’s clearance which would happen without much delay,” said Palayam Rajan.
Recently, a section of the fisherman community took out a march to the Secretariat from Palayam Martyrs Square demanding the speedy implementation of the housing project. Former councillor Tony Oliver said that hundreds of families were displaced while the already existing project remains unexecuted. “The UDF government has allotted Rs 6.5 lakh for each home which is much higher than the funds allotted by the LDF government under Life Mission Scheme. This fund remains unutilised because the officials want to protect other interests,” he said.