At the end of the storm, their is a golden sky

A month has passed since the nightmarish landslides erased a whole village in Wayanad. The district is still struggling in its efforts to come back to older ways. Mundakkai and Chooralmala still live in silence reminiscing the ghost lands from old fables. People who were lucky enough to escape the disaster are now trying hard to build a new life. The only solace for them to move ahead with life will be the unwavering support from people across the country and the special consideration from the state government.

On a brighter note, the schools in the village resumed functioning just two days back, instilling hopes of the good old days among the villagers. The children will have to adapt to the cruel reality of not seeing many of their close friends in school again. It will take some months before the destroyed schools will be reconstructed again. However, it is rather a positive sign that most people hitherto housed in the camps have shifted to rented houses and government quarters. They have been provided Rs 10,000 for shifting into rented houses for the time being.

Every family has been provided essentials and domestic goods to resume normal life. Efforts are underway to prepare new houses for people who lost everything to the landslides. The expert team have zeroed ten locations in the village for the purpose. On Thursday, the government convened an all-party meeting regarding the rehabilitation activities.

A compensation of Rs 8 lakh each has already been paid to the dependents of those who died in the landslide. The injured were also paid proportionately. Rs 6000 per month as rent will be given to those provided with temporary accommodation. A final tally of damage to property, businesses and public infrastructure has not been released. Most of the disaster victims want to be resettled in Meppadi itself. More than 1000 families are on the list of people to be resettled. It remains a quandary for the government to allow all families to resettle back in the same village. The fragile environmental settings and the limited area are causing troubles for the officials albeit understanding the emotional attachment the victims have with the land.

Political parties, organizations, and individuals promised to build more than five hundred houses for the landslide victims. If these are codified and a proper action plan is prepared, a major chunk of the burden can be taken off from government's head.

Wayanad landslide which garnered global attention for the mayhem, is considered to be one of the worst-ever tragedies to have hit the country. The state through perseverance and resilience came out of it successfully, despite incurring serious bruises. The tale of unity in Kerala during the calamity will be passed on to generations. It is something that all Malayalees can take pride in.