A house in Kalpetta village for the rehabilitation of people who survived the Chooralmala-Mundakkai landslides in Wayanad. | Photo credit: th-online admin
The Wayanad district administration on Friday launched the rehabilitation package supported by the Kerala government and conducted a lottery for allotment of houses constructed in the first phase of the Kalpetta township project for the survivors of the 2024 Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide disaster.
In the initial phase, 178 homes were built on land that was part of the Elston Estate. The draw was held at Meppadi MSA Auditorium in the presence of beneficiaries, elected representatives, political party workers and officials.
P. Ashraf of Panchil House in Ward 10 Meppadi grama panchayat drew the first lot. He was allotted house No. 104 in cluster J of zone 1 in the municipality.
The beneficiaries received their respective houses by drawing lots from a box prepared by the district administration.
At the ceremony, government decrees for granting ownership (title deeds) of houses along with seven cents of land were distributed to the beneficiaries. Further, special counters were set up to issue documents related to electricity, drinking water, ration cards and house ownership.
Officials said that at present, electricity and water connection for the houses have been secured on behalf of the district collector. Electricity and water charges will be borne by the government for the first three months. On the day, the recipients were also issued with a certificate enabling the transfer of these connections to the individual names of the recipients after three months.
Speaking at the function, Minister for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes OR Kelu said that financial assistance would be quickly distributed to those who lost their shops and businesses in the disaster. “The government has applied maximum transparency and accuracy in the draw process. Houses selected by beneficiaries cannot be exchanged with other beneficiaries,” he said.
The first phase of the township will be inaugurated and the keys to the 178 completed homes will be handed over at a ceremony on 25 February.
410 in total
The township includes a total of 410 houses, each of which is built on seven cents of land. Each 1,000-square-foot home includes two bedrooms, a living room, study, dining area, kitchen and storage.
The township includes various facilities including a market, a health centre, anganwadi and a community centre.
Officials added that all the 410 houses under construction in the village have been allotted specific digital numbers. Through lottery, 115 houses in Zone 1, 30 houses in Zone 3 and 33 houses in Zone 4 were allotted to the beneficiaries in the first phase.
Published – 20 Feb 2026 21:14 IST