Thiruvananthapuram: Minister T Siddique said all houses that are under construction at the Wayanad rehabilitation township for survivors of Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide will be completed by end of Oct. Siddique told reporters that there is no basis for concerns that construction of the second phase of houses in the rehabilitation township is progressing slowly.“The construction contractor has assured that work on 110 houses will be finished by the end of this month. A work schedule has been prepared, and construction is moving forward accordingly. Steps have also begun to include disaster victims who were left out of the initial list due to technical issues in the list of eligible beneficiaries,” Siddique said.A special meeting was held to review the situation, and a final decision regarding those not yet included will be made soon. The minister also clarified that there is no shortage of workers for the project and that 810 personnel are currently employed at the site.Keys to 178 houses have already been handed over. Occupancy in one of these homes was delayed because of an issue connected to an ongoing case, he added. “Painting work that had been pending during the rainy season is now being completed. All basic infrastructure work in the township is expected to be finished by Dec,” Siddique said.As the elected representative of the disaster-hit area, Siddique said construction progress was being reviewed every month. In addition, assessments are being conducted by a cabinet sub-committee, another sub-committee led by the chief secretary, and the district collector.Regarding the issue of writing off loans and other liabilities of disaster victims, a meeting of the parties concerned has already been convened and explanations have been sought, he said.“Appropriate action will be taken once their response is received. The selection of beneficiaries will be done through a draw in line with the completion of the work, and this process is unrelated to the pace of construction,” the minister said.
