Over 300 families evicted for ICTT continue to wait for eviction cards

Over 300 families evicted for rail and road connectivity to the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) continue to wait for eviction cards, a longstanding demand, which the district monitoring committee for overseeing the implementation of the Moolampilly rehabilitation package has promised to issue shortly at its last meeting.

The issue of eviction cards to 316 families was among the matters discussed at the monitoring committee held on June 27, 2024. At the meeting, members of the Moolampilly Coordination Committee (MCC) representing the evicted families reminded that the committee had agreed to issue the cards at its previous meeting held in 2018, and that they had submitted all data, including the list of beneficiaries approved by the district administration. But nearly a year later, no substantial progress has been made in the issue.

MCC points out that the proposed eviction cards serve multiple purposes. “The evicted families have to make frequent visits to government offices for various issues. At that time, these cards will help them prove their credentials to the officials concerned. Besides, the cards can also be used to avoid toll at the Container Terminal Road since they prove that they had given up their land for the road,” said Francis Kalathungal, general convener of MCC.

The cards could also be used as a valid document to benefit from the government order promising a job to one member each from the evicted families at the Cochin Port Trust (CPT). Mr. Kalathungal drew attention to the arrangement of similar cards, which helped people who had given up land for the Kochi Refineries project to be treated on a priority basis for daily jobs of a non-permanent nature. The proposed eviction cards would help the evictees benefit from at least non-permanent jobs offered by the CPT, he said.

“The issue of eviction cards hardly involves any expenses, as the data is readily available with the authorities concerned,” Mr. Kalathungal said. He further rued how the monitoring committee, which was supposed to meet monthly to take stock of the progress of the rehabilitation package, has only met irregularly after long gaps. The last meeting in 2024 was held after five years, and now it has been almost a year since then.

The CPT is also yet to update about the original government promise of a job to one eligible member from each of the 316 evicted families as part of the package. At the last meeting, the CPT representative expressed ignorance about the government order dated March 19, 2008, which assured job, and promised to report back after verification.

As many as 316 families from Mulavukad, Kadamakudy, Cheranalloor, Edappally North, Edappally South, Eloor and Kalamassery villages were evicted for the rail-road connectivity to Vallarpadam ICTT.

Published - June 05, 2025 07:51 pm IST