‘I feel proud when called Rajan, the labourer, stop cyber attacking disaster victim’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revenue Minister K Rajan responded to the cyber-attacks soon after an inspection at a house in Wayanad Township following allegations of a leakage. I feel proud when I am called Rajan, the labourer. However, cyber attacking Noufal, the house owner and disaster victim, should be stopped, he said while addressing the media in the capital city.

‘When constructing houses in the Wayanad township, we had directed that a water ponding test be conducted differently from usual. The purpose was to understand how these houses would hold up under changing climatic conditions. The test involves retaining water on the terrace for 24 hours. If leakage is found, epoxy treatment will be done to that portion of the terrace. Then water is retained again for another 24 hours. After that, waterproofing and screed concrete are applied over it.

When this test was done in Wayanad, leakage was found in two houses. Engineers marked the affected areas with a pen. Images of this were taken from a distance and widely circulated as cracks in the structure. That is when I verified whether it was just pen markings.

Before handing over the house, the contractor company’s engineers and government engineers will jointly examine it. Afterwards, there will be an inspection in the presence of the houseowners as well. Even then, if issues arise, the contractor has a five-year warranty and will rectify it. Some people ask how a minister can be an engineer.

I am not just a minister for the people of Chooralmala, I am one among them. So, when providing a house to someone in my family, even the slightest doubt about cracks should not remain. To those who say it was wrong for me to climb onto the table, I say I am willing to climb even higher to protect the pride of my land. We do not have the experience of ruling from palaces. Didn’t we stay in Wayanad for a month when the disaster happened?

If it is said that it’s not a crack but pen markings, as a public worker I have a responsibility to find the truth. For that, I had to face numerous cyber-attacks. When you mock me as ‘Rajan the laborer,’ I feel only pride. But no one should cyber-attack Naufal, the owner of that house. He is a disaster victim. His words should be seen in that context,’ said the minister.