The district authorities and the people of Malappuram are eagerly looking forward to a crucial meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority scheduled for September 5, where a final decision on the vulnerability mapping will be done.
Experts from the Department of Mining and Geology and the Department of Soil Survey and Soil Conservation examined 184 centres across the district in the wake of the century’s worst floods Malappuram
witnessed in the second week of August. Among them were the sites where landslips took place in the past and those where people continue to live under the threat of landslips.
“We held a preliminary round of discussions on Friday. The report is being verified and cross-checked for final submission at the DDMA meeting to be held on September 5,” said Additional District
Magistrate N.M. Meharali.
A blanket ban on construction and quarrying is expected to be slapped on highly vulnerable areas. People living in such areas will be shifted. Mr. Meharali said that they would be given compensation in accordance with the government norms.
The government is currently giving ₹6 lakh for purchase of land and ₹4 lakh for construction of a house. Those being displaced will get this benefit, said the district administration officials.
The administration is yet to lift the ban on quarrying in the district. Although there has been pressure from the quarry lobby for lifting of the ban, a decision is expected to be taken after the September 5 meeting of the DDMA.
However, quarries functioning in the district were given permission to clear their stocks. District Collector Jafar Malik said that the rebuilding activities in the district needed materials and, therefore, the quarries were permitted to clear their stock. “No further quarrying will be permitted until further orders,” he said.
The Collector on Friday lifted the ban on construction activities in the district. “As such, there is no threat from the south-west monsoon. So, we can resume construction activities,” he said.
Meanwhile, the administration is moving ahead with a comprehensive rehabilitation plan. Tribespeople who lost their land and house will be rehabilitated in the land released by the Forest Department. Others
are being given ₹6 lakh for land and ₹4 lakh for house.
