The survivors of the landslips in Karinchola and other parts of Kattippara panchayat, who have been put up in rented houses for two-and-a-half months, have complained that the panchayat and revenue authorities have not so far paid the promised rent.
They said that they were being pressed by the landlords for the rent. Some of the families are afraid that they would be forced to leave if the rents were not paid soon as the houses were rented for three months.
The June-14 landslips were the first in the series of such calamities across the State in this monsoon season. In Karinchola alone 14 lives were lost and five houses were wiped out. Landslips hit Calvary and other parts of the panchayat the same day, though there were no casualties.
Soon after the landslips, families in these areas were asked to move out and 36 of the households were later put up in rented houses elsewhere in the panchayat. The panchayat and Revenue Department had asked the families to find suitable houses on their own and negotiate rent agreements with the landlords. The authorities would pay their rents. But, neither the panchayat nor the revenue officials have, after all these days, paid the promised rent.
Mr. Saleem, who has been bedridden following a critical spine injury in the Karinchola landslip, the worst landslip in the State in several decades in terms of the toll, told The Hindu that he would have to move out of the house in a couple of weeks if the rents were not paid. “If the authorities do not pay the rents soon, we plan to move to the village office and stay there,” said Mr. Saleem, who lost his two children, a recently built house and the plot of land. He had toiled in Saudi Arabia for seven years to build the house.
Baby Raveendran, the panchayat president, said that the funds needed to pay the rents should be sanctioned by the district revenue authorities. She hoped the Collector would personally take the initiative to sanction the funds immediately.
Meanwhile, local rescue workers in Kattippara are concerned that the delay in paying the promised rent would have a ripple effect on other parts of the district as well as the State.
“Because of the bad experience in Kattippara, building owners in other parts of the State will be reluctant to rent out their houses to flood-hit people,” said an activist.
