KALPETTA: An amount of `1.09 crore has been sanctioned as fresh instalment of grants to carry out the rehabilitation work under the voluntary relocation project in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, District Collector Kesavendra Kumar has informed.
As per the order, the amount will be disbursed to eight persons residing in Vellakkodu and Kottankara, besides the kin of four beneficiaries who died of natural causes after being identified as beneficiaries. An amount of `10 lakh each will be distributed among the two tribal persons in Vellakodu, while six persons residing in Kottankara, who were found eligible to avail of the benefits by a sub-committee, will be allocated `60 lakh. The kin of four deceased beneficiaries will be given a total amount of `29 lakh. “The next meeting will examine the applications of the 93 eligible residents in the Kurichiyad settlement,” the Collector said after a review meeting held at the Collectorate conference hall.
A study conducted by the Kerala Research Forest Institute in 2009 had found out that there were about 12,000 people belonging to 2,500 families residing in the 110 settlements within the Sanctuary. Subsequently, the State submitted a `80-crore proposal to the Central government for the relocation of the ‘most-affected’ 800 families in 14 settlements. In 2011, the Central government sanctioned an amount of `5.5 crore for the relocation of families living in Goloor and Ammavayal, which were identified as the most vulnerable settlements.
I C Balakrishnan MLA, District Panchayat President N K Rasheed, Wildlife Warden Roy P Thomas, Deputy Collector (LR) P Arumukhan, representatives of political parties, NGOs and other officials attended the meeting.