KALPETTA: The foundation stone for houses promised to survivors of the Chooralmala-Mundakkai landslide by the Congress was laid on Thursday, with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi jointly inaugurating the housing project.
The Congress has announced plans to construct 100 houses within six months.
At the function, financial assistance was also distributed to those affected by the disaster, with 40 beneficiaries receiving Rs 5 lakh each.
Addressing the gathering, Rahul said the people of Wayanad had confronted the tragedy with unity and courage. “I witnessed the solidarity shown in the face of disaster. The people stood together bravely. The people of Wayanad are my family, and I will always stand with them,” he said.
He also congratulated the IUML for its role in completing the housing initiative.
Priyanka said the memories of the disaster would never fade. “We did everything possible to support the victims. We consistently raised the issue in Parliament and organised protests demanding that the Wayanad disaster be declared a national disaster. We went beyond politics to stand with you and will continue to do so,” she said.
“The foundation stone laying ceremony was held after overcoming several hurdles. A total of 3.24 acres of land have already been purchased for the project, while registration of another 2.18 acres is pending. Discussions are also under way to acquire an additional five acres to expand the rehabilitation initiative,” she added.
She acknowledged that there had been delays in launching the project, citing procedural hurdles. Priyanka told reporters that non-cooperation from the state government had slowed the process.
“There were significant delays in paperwork and land-related issues. Identifying suitable land took time, partly due to delays on the part of the state government. Fortunately, these issues have now been resolved, and we hope to move forward swiftly,” she said.
Of the 100 houses, the first 50 will be constructed at Kunnampetta in Meppadi.
Layout plan
Each three-bedroom house will have a built-up area of 1,041 sq ft and will be built on eight cents of land. The design also allows for the addition of an extra floor in the future