Landslide-hit families living in irreparable houses at Vilangad seek fair deal

Even after several rounds of protests and submission of memoranda to the authorities, many villagers whose houses and crops were partially damaged in last year’s multiple landslides at Vilangad in Kozhikode district are yet to get any financial assistance from the State government.

Though 31 families who lost their houses completely have already received ₹15 lakh each as compensation, several farmers on the other side who still live in irreparable houses and face serious safety concerns have not received any rehabilitation support.

“We will not be able to continue here. Though there were plans to pick eligible beneficiaries from a secondary list, nothing was done even after several rounds of protests,” said an elderly farmer from Vilangad. He claimed that there were several lower-income groups of farmers who were dragged into a huge financial crisis following the partial destruction of their crops and homes.  

Some of the local landholders complained that restrictions on construction activities in landslide-prone areas were creating fresh hurdles for them. According to them, all land sale attempts had failed due to the fall in land value and the stringent regulations implemented by the Revenue department on construction works.

“Last month, we staged a protest in front of the Vilangad village office seeking speedy intervention of the authorities to address our concerns. The main grievance was that the names of many eligible persons were not even included in the secondary beneficiary list,” said a local farmers’ organisation leader. He alleged that the government’s loss estimate had failed to project the actual extent of the loss.

‘List prepared’

Meanwhile, Revenue department sources said a secondary list of all eligible persons, who suffered partial damage in the landslide or required relocation support for safety reasons, had already been prepared by the village authorities. Compensation details based on the list could be announced only after the review of the same by the higher authorities, they said.

Selma Raju, local body member from Vilangad, said the demand to sanction a reasonable rehabilitation package for around 35 families included in the secondary list would be taken up again with the district administration for approval. “Many of these families are living in landslide-prone areas, and they are badly in need of a speedy relocation project. However, all the major complaints of people included in the primary list have already been addressed,” she said.

Published - June 18, 2025 07:34 pm IST