The government has decided to give due compensation to the dependents of the 32 missing people, now presumed dead in the July 30 landslides in Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Wayanad. The whereabouts of these 32 people remain untraceable As per law, only after seven years from missing that the government should presume someone dead. However the government decided to move ahead with a rare move considering the unique situation of the Wayanad landslides. Since the landslide disaster in Wayanad, many body parts were found from the debris at certain intervals, but it was difficult to identify the person. The government and officials worked day and night to help recover many bodies from the Wayanad debris. However, no efforts could help find the 32 people.
To provide benefits under the Disaster Relief Act to victims' kin, the death should be confirmed. The government thus took the decision accordingly. Information about the missing persons is available in the local police stations. After completing the inspection of the revenue department, a report should be submitted confirming that the missing people remain untraceable. Based on this, a committee comprising of concerned officials should prepare the list of missing persons. The State Disaster Management Authority has to take the final decision after completing all the procedures. Dependents are entitled to compensation as per law within one month of the final decision in this regard. Revenue Minister K. Rajan has stated that the process will start this month.
At the same time, the delay in the rehabilitation works in Wayanad is taking a toll on the landslide survivors. The government went ahead with a comprehensive rehabilitation plan, to help provide shelter to the victims before the next monsoon, but it seems like the project is stuck in a roadblock. The plan to acquire private estate land for two townships was approved by the High Court. But with the estate owners filing an appeal against the single bench order on Wednesday, the legal battle is certain to drag on.
The demand is that a small portion of the thousands of acres of plantations, which have been in possession for decades, should be released to prepare housing facilities for the disaster victims. By rejecting the offer, the estate owners’ social commitment is called into question. Despite the government's stance that it will pay the compensation determined by the court, the plantation owners are reluctant to move ahead. In any case, the fact that the plantation owners have come forward with a new legal loophole is a setback for the rehabilitation works in Wayanad. While the case is pending, the government can try to change its position by negotiating with the plantation owners. In an ideal case, the estate owners should have voluntarily come forward offering support for the victims, whose lives were torn apart in the disastrous landslides.