Wayanad (Kerala), Feb 10 (PTI) Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan on Tuesday claimed that the Congress took only four months to acquire land for building houses for the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide victims, while the state government took a year for the same purpose.
Satheesan said that the party initially had no plans to acquire land, as it was to be provided by the state government to build 100 houses.
“However, the state government, at the last moment, informed us of its unwillingness to do so, and therefore we had to acquire land on our own,” he claimed while speaking to reporters here.
The July 2024 landslides in the Mundakkai-Chooralmala area of Wayanad claimed over 200 lives and destroyed hundreds of homes.
He further said that the party had acquired around 3.5 acres of land and was in the process of completing the registration of another parcel of land nearby.
“Once that is completed, we will hold the foundation stone-laying ceremony, after which construction will commence. It took us only four months to acquire land, while the government, with all its paraphernalia, took a year. So where was the delay on our part?” he asked.
Satheesan also said that the Congress-led Karnataka government had provided funds to the Kerala government for constructing homes in Wayanad, and that the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)—a key constituent of the UDF opposition—had already completed the construction of 52 houses, which would be handed over to the beneficiaries soon.
“We will also do that,” he added.
At the same time, he alleged that the state government had received Rs 1,642 crore for helping the Mundakkai-Chooralmala disaster victims, but was neither providing them with money for medical treatment nor building a road or a bridge to the area.
“The poor people are being victimised by the government, which has collected money in their name and is holding on to it. Nothing is being done for them. That is the problem,” he alleged.
He further accused the state government of being “incompetent”, stating that it could not even properly prepare a list of those affected by the landslides in three wards.
During the press meet, Satheesan also said that the Left front was “weakening”, which was evident from the differences between the CPI(M) and the CPI on various issues, including the signing of the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme.
“Team UDF, on the other hand, stands united,” he added. PTI HMP SSK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.