E.M. MANOJ
KALPETTA
The largest residential villa project for landless tribespeople is nearing completion in Wayanad, a major tribal populated region in the State. The construction works of 48 villas are nearing completion at Ceecee near Meenangadi in Wayanad.
Those villas are constructed by the District Nirmiti Kendra on eight acres of land provided by the Forest Department as per the Forest Rights Act to 48 landless tribal families.
“We have constructed more than 300 houses for tribespeople in various parts of the district last year but, the villa project at Cecee is the largest tribal housing project in the district,” O.K. Sajeeth, project manager, Nirmithi Kendra, Wayanad, told The Hindu. All the works have been completed and the project would be handed over to the tribespeople by the middle of May, Mr. Sajeet said.
The Kendra has spent ₹5.10 lakh, after deducting the GST, to construct each house with an area of 485 sqft. The Tribal Development Department provided the financial assistance for the project, he said. “We consulted the tribespeople to know their concept on their dream homes before the construction works started,” he said.
Each house has two bedrooms, a hall, kitchen, toilet, and a chethi, a traditional protruded portion of a tribal house. Branded vitrified tiles have been used for flooring and concealed electrical wiring has been applied in each house to enhance the visual appeal.
The construction of a cultural centre, an anganwadi, well-connected roads and a health centre are also on the anvil in the second phase of the project, Tribal Development Department sources said. Power supply and drinking water projects are under way. Apart from a house, 10 cents of land would also be provided to each family, the sources said.
“We all are satisfied with the works of the Kendra as they have tried to use branded products for the construction of the villas,” Karuppan, a tribal activist, said.
While private contractors use 6-inch thick cement bricks for tribal house construction, the houses that the Kendra is building have 7-inch laterite stones, procured from Kannur district, for the construction.
Apart from the villa project at Ceecee, the construction works of seven villas have also been completed at Aavayal under the project, Mr. Sajeet said.
Nirmithi Kendra constructed 300 houses in 20 tribal hamlets in 15 grama panchayats in the district in two years. Works of 100 more houses was under way, he said.
