KAVALAPPARA: Karunakaran M, a resident of Bhoodanam, led an uneventful life before the 2019 landslide that claimed 59 lives and wiped out the tiny village on the foothills of Muthappan hills in Kavalappara. The disaster destroyed half of his 2.26 acres of land. He had availed a bank loan for agricultural purposes, using his land as collateral, but failed to repay it due to the destruction wrought by the landslide. Now, he is at risk of losing what is left of his property and is struggling to make ends meet.
The state government has offered no relief to farmers like Karunakaran, whose lands were rendered barren by the landslide. And landowners continue to pay tax on land that they can no longer employ for any activity. Karunakaran and the other farmers have been seeking a loan waiver, besides an intervention to help restore their land to cultivable condition. But it remains to be seen what action will be taken.
It has been four years since the tragedy, which left a desolate patch of land now covered in trees and shrubs. The area, spanning approximately 35 acres, used to be rich in rubber, cashew, and teak trees, that have now given way to four-foot-high mounds. It still attracts land tax though due to revenue department stipulations — with 11 bodies yet to be recovered. Additionally, the Department of Mining and Geology has prohibited any earth-moving activities within a 200m radius of the area, due to the risk of further landslides.
Despite the loss of 1.10 acres of land, the plot which houses Karunakaran’s residence was untouched. “This made me ineligible for the Rs 10 lakh compensation provided to those whose houses were destroyed. Several years ago, I took a Rs 2.5 lakh loan at 4.5% interest rate from the Kerala Gramin Bank (KGB) Pothukallu branch. I topped this up with an additional Rs 7.5 lakh loan at 6.5%. I was regular with my repayments, up until the disaster. I recently received a revenue-recovery notice from bank authorities demanding the immediate payment of approximately Rs 15 lakh. I approached the bank and cited my situation, but they pleaded helplessness,” said Karunakaran. And his Rs 25,000 crop insurance would have amounted to nothing.
Karunakaran relied upon his 2.26 acres to make ends meet. A portion of his loan was spent on marrying off his two daughters as he was confident of repaying the amount from his earnings. But his expectations were derailed by the tragedy that hit on August 8, Though the government, in collaboration with socio-religious outfits, rehabilitated 152 families and provided them basic infrastructure for three years after the landslide, it ignored marginal farmers. But, they are now demanding government assistance, with 33 of them now requesting either a loan waiver or conversion of their land for agricultural use, “The geology department has barred the use of earthmoving machinery in the area due to the possibility of landslides. The accumulated soil cannot be removed without the help of machines. After residents abandoned the area after the tragedy it became a haven for wild animals, including wild elephants and reptiles, including poisonous snakes,” said Jayan, a rubber-tapping worker in the area. Jayan, who had a narrow escape in the 2019 tragedy, was active in the rescue operations.
“Before the tragedy, an acre of land cost Rs 20-25 lakh here. Now, nobody wants this mounds. This has denied us another option to settle loans,” said Jayan, who is facing recovery proceedings by a cooperative bank.
Karunakaran met authorities at the bank’s headquarters in Malappuram to settle the loan. “I told them that I have only one option, that I would pay a sum after logging the rubber trees planted on the remaining land. I have been accumulating interest and penalty interest following the loan default. The government should take steps to waive the loan and make the land farmable, or take over the land after paying market value.”
The story of another farmer, also a resident of Bhoodanam, is similarly tragic. In 2018, Kunjumon was not ready to sell the three-and-a-half acres of land containing rubber and cashew trees for Rs 60 lakh. The monthly income from his crops, including rubber, was more than Rs 50,000. He bought the land with money he earned through several years of contract farming. He took a Rs 10 lakh loan from Kerala Gramin Bank to plant the rubber trees. The landslide coincided with their initial tapping. He now has no regular income.
Suresh Babu, another resident, said the issue of farmers has not been effectively conveyed to authorities. “The government rehabilitated residents who lost their houses and paid compensation to farmers for their crop loss. But, they came to know about plots rendered unfit for agriculture after we approached the district administration,” he added.
Dileep M, convenor of the ‘Kavalappara Colony Koottayma’ and Bhoodanam ward member at Pothukallu grama panchayat, said it was after extensive efforts, including a legal battle, that many of the residents were rehabilitated. “We have approached the HC and the case is pending,” said Dileep, who is spearheading an agitation for survivors.
A Malappuram district collectorate official said that they had looked into the issue on the directive of the HC and the government will take necessary action on the request of farmers. “The matter is now under the consideration of the HC,” he told TNIE.