The obstacle before the government to acquire estate land to build townships for the rehabilitation of Chooralmala and Mundakkai landslide victims in Wayanad has been cleared. This is after the High Court gave the green light to acquire land by paying compensation under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013. Revenue Minister K Rajan described the decision of the High Court as a verdict understanding the human heart, which is absolutely correct. It is also to be mentioned that the High Court judgment has stipulated that the estate owners should return the compensation amount to the government if the verdict in the case filed by the government in the civil court regarding the ownership of the land is unfavourable. The petitioners can go for litigation if the compensation provided by the government is not satisfactory. However, none of this will prevent land acquisition and township construction.

Justice Kauser Edappagath's order says that the government can take steps to measure the land immediately, before the process of acquiring the land. The order considered that prima facie the estate owners are the heirs of the land. The High Court order has settled the petitions filed by the estate owners Harrisons Malayalam Limited and Elstone Tea Estate against the government's order to take over 65.41 hectares of Nedumbala Estate and 78.73 hectares of Kalpetta Elstone Estate under the Disaster Prevention Act. With the removal of legal hurdles for land acquisition, the survey can be completed here within a week. DPR can also be prepared within two weeks. A nodal officer was appointed for this last day.

A thousand houses of 1000 square feet each at five and ten cents plots will be built on the acquired 143 acres of land. The government aims to complete this in a single phase. It is learned that the Uralungal Labor Contract Co-operative Society, which has a track record of completing construction works well within the stipulated time frame, may be awarded the construction duty. It may take at least a year to complete the township. Many voluntary organizations and private individuals have promised to build shelters there. The Chief Minister is going to hold a discussion with them in the first week of January. The government should officially publish a new list after addressing the widespread complaints against the draft list of beneficiaries.

Once the township is completed, tourists can be expected to come again in droves to see other parts of Wayanad as well. The crisis in the tourism sector of the district caused by the disaster has not ended. Hence, the government needs to give great consideration and support to the tourism sector of Wayanad along with the rehabilitation activities in the disaster area. Trade, real estate, hotel construction and auto-taxi sectors can be sustained only if tourism improves. It was a recognition to Kerala that the central and state governments, political activists, voluntary organizations and rich people came together to help the disaster victims. This solidarity should continue till Wayanad's total recovery from collapse is achieved.