Moolampilly rehabilitation package: Measures to be adopted to stabilise sites

The possibility of utilising the soil dredged by the Cochin Port Authority (CPA), which is now being dumped in the outer sea, for filling up a rehabilitation site at Indira Nagar in Thuthiyoor near Kakkanad for the families evicted for the road, rail connectivity to the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal may be explored. However, this may require consultations with the government and CPA.

The suggestion came up after a delegation led by District Collector N.S.K. Umesh visited two rehabilitation sites at Thuthiyoor – the other being Adarsh Nagar – following complaints that the rehabilitation plots assigned in those sites were too marshy and unfit for constructions. The site at Indira Nagar in Vazhakkala village is spread over 7.5 acres in Thuthiyoor and split into 114 rehabilitation plots for as many families.

“At the plot at Indira Nagar, located by the shore of Kadamprayar, pumping in the dredged soil to the site would not involve much cost. However, the same cannot be said about 56 rehabilitation plots at Adarsh Nagar, which is away from the water body. The original cost of ₹50 lakh set for filling the plot has no takers, and the revised estimate by the Irrigation department officials has pegged the cost at around ₹1.02 crore,” said Francis Kalathungal, general convener of Moolamppilly Coordination Committee.

A clear picture about the ways to stabilise the two plots may emerge at the next meeting of the Moolamppilly Rehabilitation Package Monitoring Committee, scheduled for August 22. CPA representatives are also members of the committee.

Concerns raised

The coordination committee members also aired their concerns about “unscrupulous attempts” being made by real estate agents to sell off rehabilitation plots, taking advantage of the frustration and helplessness of the evictees. A placard with a contact number for potential sale was removed from one of the sites at the instance of the coordination committee.

Meanwhile, the district administration has evinced willingness to issue photo-affixed evictee cards, a long-standing demand of the evicted families. However, reservations have been expressed about 36 out of the 316 evictees who have died since then.

“We have recommended that the district administration may issue evictee cards to the living evictees, while it may be withheld in complicated cases, including the death of the evictees, since it is for the families concerned to decide the heir apparent of the deceased evictee,” said Mr. Kalathungal.

Moolamppilly Coordination Committee members C.R. Neelakantan, V.P. Wilson, Moosakutty, and Eloor Gopinath were also part of the delegation that visited the sites.