Landslide-hit families stage protest over exclusion from govt beneficiary list, loan waiver

Kozhikode: Landslide-affected people from Mundakkai-Chooralmala and nearby locations staged a protest in front of Wayanad collectorate on Monday alleging that they were excluded from list of beneficiaries prepared by state govt and that their bank loans had not been written off.More than 50 families marched from Kalpetta town and blocked the first gate of collectorate.Protesters said govt had assured during the disaster that all affected people would be rehabilitated. However, several families are still left out of the list. Protesting families also accused govt of adopting a double standard in writing off bank loans of disaster victims.They said that according to loan details submitted by state govt to Centre, the data includes all families from wards 10, 11, and 12 of Meppadi panchayat. As per this estimate, total bank loans amount to about Rs 33 crore. However, state govt has so far written off only Rs 18 crore, leaving the remaining families' debts still outstanding.They said many families from areas directly affected by the disaster — Mundakkai, Rattappadi, Padavettikunnu, Attamala and Koynakkulam — have still not been included in the rehabilitation list.Although police set up barricades to stop them, the families insisted they would not leave without meeting district collector. Finally, around 12.45pm, protesters were invited for talks to collector's chamber.During the subsequent discussion, district collector D R Meghashree assured them that in the next DDMA meeting, a revised list including families that were left out would be prepared and sent to govt. She also said the issue of writing off bank loans would be discussed in Monday's banking review meeting and representatives of the disaster victims would be included in that meeting.Following these assurances, the families called off the protest.Daughter of Punchirimattam native Ramaswamy, who died in the landslide, said while they lost their father and brother in the disaster govt has not included them in the beneficiary list saying that she has been married off. She added that at the same time govt had included daughters of landslide victims in the beneficiary list in some other cases.Also, protesters said govt has excluded many people from the loan waiver programme which has been limited to just 555 persons.