Wayanad Landslide Survivor Sruthi Left Waiting as Housing Promise by Congress MLA T Siddique Falls Through

Thiruvananthapuram: Sruthi, the Mundakkai landslide survivor who lost her parents, sister, and other family members in the disaster and later her fiance in a road accident, has emerged as yet another victim of an unfulfilled housing promise — this time by Congress MLA T Siddique, who had publicly pledged to build her a home within 120 days but failed to deliver even after 18 months.

Under the initiative of T Siddique MLA, Sruthi had been promised a 1,500 square foot house on 11 cents of land at Ponnada in Kalpetta. On September 26, 2024, the Congress legislator publicly claimed through a Facebook post that the house would be ready within 120 days. Trusting the assurance, Sruthi submitted a written declaration waiving her entitlement to a government-allotted house under the state's township scheme. More than 555 days have since passed without the promised house materialising, forcing Sruthi to apply afresh for a house under the government's township program.

Sruthi had been adopted as "Kerala's daughter" in the aftermath of the devastating Mundakkai landslide, which claimed the lives of nine members of her family including her father, mother, and sister. She subsequently lost her fiance Jenson in a separate road accident, leaving her entirely alone. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Revenue Minister K Rajan had personally assured her that the government would stand by her side. In December 2024, the state government followed through by appointing her as a clerk in the Revenue Department, offering her stability and a livelihood.

The revelation that she was simultaneously being misled by a Congress leader over housing has drawn sharp criticism, with the incident being cited by LDF as emblematic of the UDF's gap between political optics and ground-level accountability.