Houses along the coast of Kadapuram in Ullal took a beating for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, even as unrest grew among people who are still to get any relief from the Government. Rocks carried on the crests of powerful waves smashed against walls of houses that line the shore for about a kilometre.
Meanwhile, a Government press release stated that the encroachments in Padil, Kannur, Adyar and Ujjodi, which blocked rainwater channels, had been removed. Flooding had been reported in these areas on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the worst damage in the area yet, a major portion of a house came cascading down after waves repeatedly pounded it. The house belongs to U.M. Aliabba (71), a fisherman. He was forced to move his large family into the houses of friends and relatives.
Many flooded houses along the stretch are deserted. Hadil, a fish trader, said it was hard for families to sleep at night with the persistent sound of waves and rocks crashing into their houses. “The politicians have not looked this way yet. It is almost as if they do not care about what is happening here,” he said.
The tiles of some houses in the area have been dislodged from roofs, forcing the families to bear with the sea spray and rain as well.
Asked about compensation, Azmal, a student, said, “We are not getting any compensation. All we are getting is wave after wave hitting our houses.” Mohammed Ismail, a shopkeeper, said the usual compensation, which varied from Rs. 500 to Rs. 800, would not be enough to repair the damaged house. Electricity was restored to most of the locality on Wednesday, although a few houses still did not have power. Residents agreed that the intensity of the sea was not as strong as it was two days ago, when around 40 houses were damaged.
U.T. Khader, MLA, said he had asked the people to submit applications for relocating their houses, but none of them had responded.
Mr. Khader said that reaching compensation to them from the district administration would take some time.
