On Thursday, the inhabitants will check the premises of newly inaugurated apartments under the PunargeGam scheme in Thiruvananthapuram. | Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran
Rosy John and her four children, who held a large cardboard cut, walked joyfully around their new apartment built under the PunargeGam Rehabilitation project in Muttathara in the capital. The family eagerly switched to their new dwelling when spent years in a house that was at the mercy of unpredictable sea waves.
Seven years ago the waves took their house. “In the early years, the government accommodated us within God’s God near Valyathura, which was a difficult period. Then we were asked to move to a rented house and the government gave us a monthly rent until this month.
Lilys Mary, 68, had a similar story to share, and for decades he lived in the house very close to the coast. A total of 332 families of fish workers moved to the new apartments called “Prathyasha”. The main minister Pinaraya Vijayan handed over the keys to five families near the apartments. He also launched 16 apartments built for families of fish workers in UNNIAL, TANUR in the Malappuram district.
“Although there was a delay in providing an environmental permit from the Union Government for the project, we were able to complete the project as we intended. The state government is that the fishing community should get special attention for the type of hardship they endure because of the nature of their work,” Mr. Vijayan said.
The office was chaired by the Minister of Fishing Saji Cherian. The housing units, spread over 50 blocks with eight apartments in each, are built on two floors. Each unit that costs more than 20 lakhs comes with the necessary infrastructure, including roads, drainage systems, sidewalks and compound walls. Each housing unit has a salt area of 562 square feet. The Co-Operative Society Uralungal Labor Cooperative Society (ULCCS) carried out construction activities with the port of the port superzing the technical aspects of the work. The construction of another 68 apartments in the second phase of 400-flats also began.
The inhabitants of the nearby apartments protest as the main minister Pinaraya Vijayan inaugurates newly built apartments under the Purvar scheme in Thiruvananthapurama on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran
The construction of the residential complex began in 2023 on eight acres of land, which was handed over by the Ministry for the Development of the Milk. The state government provided an administrative sanction of 81 GBP Crore for a housing project. The inauguration event also witnessed her share in the protests of the congress and several residents of the “Pratheeksha” apartments, which are located nearby. The inhabitants of apartments built in 2018 complained of poor drainage facilities and structural damage to some buildings. They also claimed that some deserve beneficiaries were not provided by apartments.
Published – August 2025 9:25
