The Minister says the appeals of beneficiaries related to the township project will be considered ahead of the preparation of the final list. (file image)
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Kerala Revenue Minister K. Rajan has said the first phase of completed houses for the survivors of the devastating Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslides in Wayanad district will be handed over in February 2026, marking a milestone in the rehabilitation process.
Addressing the media in Wayanad on Monday (January 19, 2026), Mr. Rajan said the houses, constructed as part of a broader township project on the Elston Estate near Kalpetta, would be ready for occupation with all the required basic facilities. He said the initiative was part of the State government’s rehabilitation programme for those who lost their homes in the landslides on July 30, 2024.
According to Mr. Rajan, the government had been proceeding with the land acquisition, planning and construction rapidly since late 2024, with the township comprising 410 houses. In the first phase, about 300 houses, along with the associated infrastructure, would be ready for delivery, he said.
The Minister confirmed that each house in the new township was designed to provide a “secure and dignified” living space for the survivors. The appeals of beneficiaries related to the project would be considered ahead of the preparation of the final list, he added.
Responding to the Pala Sub Court’s dismissal of the State government’s petition in a case relating to the ownership rights of the Cheruvally estate, the Minister said the court verdict was “not a setback to the government, but the result of procedural lapses.”
He clarified that the issue was “not related to a claim over the ownership” of the land but it arose due to “the shortcomings” in the procedures followed.
The ownership dispute pertains to land identified by the State government for the proposed Sabarimala airport. The government had laid claim to 2,263 acres of land spread across Erumeli South and Manimala villages. The Believers Church’s Ayana Charitable Trust and Harrison Malayalam Ltd. were the respondents in the case.
Published – January 19, 2026 04:00 pm IST
