Kerala Cabinet Approves Land Rights, Rehabilitation and Medical Aid for Chooralmala and Vilangad Disaster Victims

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Cabinet has directed the Wayanad District Collector to urgently initiate procedures to grant Record of Rights (ROR) for the land identified for the tribal families affected by the Chooralmala landslide disaster. The government has identified 5 hectares of land for this purpose, and necessary steps will be taken to provide ROR for the same.

As part of the rehabilitation process, five families from the Punchirimattam highland listed in the Mundakkai rehabilitation list, along with three families from the newly designated village highland, will be provided with houses based on the Wayanad Township Project model. Additionally, five families from Erattukandam highland, currently not included in the rehabilitation list, will be added to the Mundakkai list. Each of these families will be allotted 10 cents of land along with a house.

A memorial will also be constructed at the site in Puthumala where the victims of the disaster were buried. The Cabinet has approved the estimate of Rs. 99.93 lakh submitted by the Nirmiti Kendra for this memorial construction.

In support of the health needs of Wayanad’s disaster-affected population, the Cabinet validated the procedural order issued by the District Collector on February 22, 2025, which was based on the guidelines developed by the Health Department. Beneficiaries under the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP) will be eligible for free medical treatment in government hospitals. The free treatment scheme has been extended until December 31. Including both current and anticipated medical expenses, Rs. 6 crore has been sanctioned from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) for this purpose.

In a move to maintain parity, the Kerala Cabinet has decided to extend relief and support to victims of the Vilangad landslide disaster on par with the assistance provided to Chooralmala survivors in Wayanad. Based on the District Collector's recommendations, affected families will receive subsistence compensation and financial aid for medical treatment.

On 30 July 2024, heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslips in Vilangad, Vanimal Gram Panchayat, Kozhikode district. Although casualty numbers remained relatively low—with one person reported deceased—the disaster inflicted widespread destruction: 9 separate landslips destroyed or damaged over 112 houses, ravaged more than 162 hectares of agricultural land, and left around 60 families homeless.

Structural losses included collapse of roads and bridges—seven bridges were washed away or buried—and significant loss of infrastructure, including tribal cooperatives and plantations. The Vilangad Tribal Co‑operative Society alone lost property worth Rs. 38 lakh, and forest produce valued over Rs. 10 lakh