‘Pencil marks shown as cracks’: Minister dismisses allegations in Wayanad township project

KALPETTA: Revenue Minister K. Rajan said that there are no cracks in the houses built under the Wayanad model township project. He dismissed the allegations as baseless and claimed that marks drawn with a pencil were being shown as cracks. The minister demonstrated this by rubbing the marked area to show that it was not a real crack.

First, workers erased the marked portion. Still not satisfied, the minister used sandpaper to check it himself. “The pencil mark has disappeared. Is this what you reported as a serious crack?” he asked the media persons. He added that only minor and natural issues seen during construction are present in the township. A joint inspection will be conducted by the Uralungal and KIFCON teams, and another inspection will be carried out in the presence of the beneficiaries.

He said that houses will be handed over to beneficiaries only after confirming that there are no defects. Even after handover, Uralungal will be responsible for maintenance for five years. If any construction issues are found, 2.5 percent of the payment to Uralungal will be withheld by the government until the problems are fixed. This condition was part of the construction agreement. If there are no complaints after five years, the amount will be released.

The minister also said that the houses have not yet been handed over to disaster-affected families. “If problems arise after handover, it will be a serious matter. If water leakage or other issues occur, strict action will be taken against Uralungal,” he said.

Although many disaster-affected people gathered at the site after hearing about the minister’s visit, he did not listen to their complaints.