Kerala CM hands over 178 houses to survivors of Mundakai - Chooralmala landslide
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday inaugurated the first phase of the Wayanad Model Township Project to rehabilitate survivors of the Mundakai Chooralmala landslide near Kalpetta town.
During his inaugural speech, the chief minister said all disaster-affected families would be given houses before the next monsoon. In the first phase, 178 houses were handed over on Sunday, along with title deeds.
The Wayanad landslides in 2024 were one of the deadliest disasters in Kerala's history, claiming nearly 400 lives. A series of landslides in the early hours of July 30 had wreaked havoc in Punjarimattom, Mundakkai, Chooralmala and Vellarimala, displacing over 2500 people.
Pinarayi praised the community for volunteering and fulfilling their promises to help victims. Before the ceremony, the chief minister visited a completed house in the township and also inaugurated the annex block of Kalpetta General Hospital.
The chief minister said that while it’s a happy day, the memories of those who were separated remain fresh. These houses can’t replace the immense loss people have suffered, but being close together can give them the strength to move forward. This is the Kerala model of mutual support, he said.
Revenue Minister K. Rajan said one of the highlights of the project is that all families from the landslide-affected areas have been rehabilitated together in one place, as per their wishes.
The ambitious rehabilitation township project envisions a total of 410 houses along with supporting infrastructure. The eco- and climate-responsive homes are being built on 64.4 hectares of land at Elstone Estate, which the government took over on April 11, 2025, after depositing Rs 44.33 crore in court. In total, 1,662 people from 402 families are expected to live in the completed township.
