IDUKKI The district administration will find land at Kuttiyarvalley, near Munnar, to rehabilitate survivors of the Pettimudy landslip in August.
At a meeting held online on Wednesday, which was attended by the Chief Minister, Revenue Minister, and representatives of Kanan Devan Hills Plantation (KDHP) Ltd, it was decided to find alternative land at Kuttiyarvalley on which the KDHP will construct houses for the survivors.
Of the survivors of 22 families, only those from eight are entitled for rehabilitation, KDHP officials told at the meeting.
District Collector H. Dinesan, who attended the meeting, told The Hindu on Thursday that he would visit Kuttiyarvalley next week to identify land suitable for construction of houses. Title deeds would be issued and the construction would be completed in a period of three months.
The Collector said the KDHP officials informed the meeting that ₹1 crore had been set aside for construction of the houses and the survivors working with the company would also be transferred to the estate division close to Kuttiyarvalley.
Meanwhile, S. Rajendran, MLA, said finding excess land at Kuttiyarvalley was remote as nearly 3,400 families had already been accommodated there after the government took over 292 acres in 1965 for providing land and houses to landless estate workers.
Land suitable for construction was highly unlikely there, he said adding that there was no clarity on the rehabilitation of survivors other than those belonging to the eight families. “There should not be any hesitation in rehabilitating all the survivors,” Mr. Rajendran said.
The death toll in the landslip, which destroyed four estate lanes in the Nayamakkad division on August 7, has been put at 66. Four persons are still missing.
