Wayanad: 150 Homes for Landslide Survivors to Be Ready by October 2026, MP Tells Review Meet

Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday inspected the rehabilitation township being built at Elston Estate in Kalpetta for survivors of the Mundakkai–Chooralmala landslides and reviewed the progress of construction work.

The landslides of July 30, 2024, killed more than 200 people and displaced thousands in the hill district, making the rebuilding effort one of the largest rehabilitation exercises undertaken in Kerala in recent years.

Ms. Vadra was accompanied by Ministers A.P. Anilkumar and P.C. Vishnunadh and other elected representatives.

At a meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA), held earlier in the day in Kalpetta and attended by the MP and other officials, the township's chief operating officer said construction of the remaining 150-odd houses would be completed by October 31, 2026. The DISHA mechanism brings together district officials to review the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes.

Other works at the township — an anganwadi, primary health sub-centres, a material collection facility, public toilets and a football court — are expected to be completed by December 31. Funds have already been distributed among the affected families for livelihood-related activities, the official said, and work is under way to install 2-kW solar power systems in the houses.

Directing officials to prepare an action plan for all roads in the district covered by the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Ms. Vadra asked that the works be completed on time. The scheme funds rural road connectivity, a key concern in Wayanad's hilly terrain, where access is often disrupted during the monsoon.

She said she had written to the Ministry of Communications about poor BSNL connectivity at 20 locations in the district and sought the deployment of Cell on Wheels units during disasters, when communication links are most critical for rescue and relief. Two mobile towers have been sanctioned for Thirunelli Appapara Colony and Panavally, she added.

The MP said she had also flagged with the Union government the difficulties in using the Poshan Tracker app in areas with poor connectivity. She added that she had reviewed the tuberculosis elimination programme and health issues affecting Adivasi communities with the Centre.

Ms. Vadra said she would take up the 'Brand Wayanad Tourism' initiative with the Tourism Minister and issues concerning Adivasi areas with the Minister for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development. The proposed Tribal University in Wayanad had been discussed with the Chief Minister, she said.

Later, the MP met Forest department officials and discussed issues including human-wildlife conflict in the hill district, a long-standing concern for farmers and residents living close to forest boundaries.

The October 31, 2026 deadline for the last of the houses means the final families moved out of relief camps and temporary accommodation will receive permanent homes more than two years after the disaster.