Endosulfan victim gets new house; Udesh Kumar gets helping hand from many

KASARAGOD: Udesh Kumar, son of Gopalan-Sharada couple of Kasaragod Anangoor, who was endosulfan afflicted and suffering without a cent of land or a closed house to sleep in, will be moving into his house soon. Following the 'Kerala Kaumudi' news, Revenue Minister K Rajan had intervened and allotted land to Udesh Kumar. On January 31, 2023, the then District Collector Bhandari Swagat Ranveer Chand handed over the land deed. The house is on this five-cent land at Cherladukka in Paika-Nellikatta Village, given by the government.

The key will be handed over on September 10, the day after Udesh Kumar's 32nd birthday. The house was built by the 'TASK' Charitable Society, a collective of the 1983-88 Civil Engineering batch of TKM Engineering College, Kollam. Dr Ambikasuthan Mangad, the Odakkuzhal Award winner and author of 'Enmakaje', and writer and railway officer Bindu Marangad, donated Rs.1 lakh each which they received as royalty. The house has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a hall and a veranda and was built for Rs 11.5 lakh.

How the house and land happened

On June 6, 2022, Kerala Kaumudi published the plight of Udesh Kumar, who has been living for 32 years, unable to even eat and drinking only water. He was living in his grandmother's house. In 2015, he was granted three cents of land in Cheemeni village. It was pointed out in the news about the disappearance of the application that was filed seven years ago in the collectorate citing the difficulty of going to Cheemeni, which is 60 km away, with him. Revenue minister ordered to give five cents of land in a convenient location after this.

Dr Ambikasuthan Mangad, who noticed the Kerala Kaumudi report, informed the officials of 'TASK'. Task President Yahya Kollam, Treasurer Bindu Sunil Ernakulam, Rajagopal Kollam and Titus came to Kasaragod. This is the second house to be built by 'Task'. The first house is in Kollam.

"Kerala Kaumudi informed the world about our misery. The government gave five cents of land after seeing the news. Kindhearted people who studied at TKM Engineering College built us a house also. Thank you, everyone.'

- Sharada

Umesh Kumar's mother