The Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS), the lead contractor for the Wayanad Township project for survivors of the Mundakkai–Chooralmala landslide, has completed construction of 178 houses in the first phase.
According to information shared with Gold 101.3FM UAE’s No.1 radio station, 140 houses were completed earlier, and the remaining 38 houses will be handed over today at the township site at Elstone Estate near Kalpetta.
The houses will first be handed over to KIIFCON, the state government’s implementing agency, which will then transfer them to beneficiaries after joint inspections. Experts from KIIFCON and ULCCS had already conducted inspections following earlier concerns over water leakage in some houses, after which additional waterproofing work was completed.
So far, only seven houses have been formally handed over to beneficiaries after completing all procedures.
Although keys were earlier distributed at a public event attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on February 28, ULCCS clarified that shifting was not feasible at that time due to incomplete essential infrastructure, including sewage treatment, water supply, electricity distribution, and drainage systems. The contractor also noted that ongoing construction activity and heavy vehicle movement made habitation unsafe.
ULCCS has now confirmed that all first-phase infrastructure work — including water supply, power supply, painting, cleaning, and sewage treatment — has been completed.
The organisation has now shifted focus to the remaining units, with a total target of 410 houses under the project.
It may be recalled that the project had earlier faced criticism over delays in handing over completed homes. However, beneficiaries who received keys after final inspections have reportedly stated they will move in only after the full set of 178 houses is completed, so that all families can relocate together and begin a new phase of life.
