Residents are reluctant to leave landslide-prone Vilangad, officials say

According to revenue department records, nearly 150 people, including men, women and children, live in landslide-prone areas of Vilangad village under Vadakara taluk. | Photo credit: File photo

Most of the families living in the landslide-prone areas of Vilangad village are yet to comply with the evacuation order issued recently by District Collector MS Madhavikutty. The order was issued on June 5 as a precautionary measure to reduce the impact of natural disasters in the highly vulnerable mountainous region.

Revenue officials, who met around 37 families in the village on the direction of the Collector, said that less than five families have temporarily shifted to the houses of close relatives in cooperation with the precautionary measures initiated by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). No relief camp has been opened in the area due to the reported reluctance of residents to leave their homes, officials said.

“Many of them want relief camps closer to their current location, which cannot be allowed under the latest security guidelines. We have identified two suitable sites nearly one kilometer from the danger zone, but many residents do not want to move there now,” said a senior revenue official from the village. According to him, many residents are of the opinion that they will leave only when the situation worsens.

Meanwhile, officials appointed by the Collector held discussions with the local panchayat authorities and village staff to ensure basic amenities in the proposed relief camps. They said all basic services, including food, medicine and counseling support, would be provided to inmates at the camp. According to revenue department records, nearly 150 people, including men, women and children, live in landslide-prone areas of Vilangad village under Vadakara taluk. Many of them, who suffered heavy losses in previous landslides, are currently living in newly constructed houses built under various sponsorship schemes.

Officials from the Vadakara taluk office said they remain ready to handle any emergency after appointing the Vadakara tahsildar as the assistant nodal for implementing the evacuation order issued by the district collector. They added that residents have already expressed a willingness to relocate in the event of extreme rainfall or other dangerous weather conditions.

Published – 07 June 2026 20:40 IST