Housing for landslide survivors: Revenue minister K Rajan erases marking, says there’s no crack

Kozhikode: Following allegations that cracks have appeared in the roof of one of the houses constructed as part of the township project for the Wayanad landslide survivors, revenue minister K Rajan visited the house and erased a marking made on the ceiling of the house.The minister reached the house awarded to one of the survivors of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide, climbed on a ladder and erased the markings himself with sandpaper. Rajan asked the media if anyone was doubtful that it was a crack and his doubts were gone."There is a small mark of water seeping in, and around it marking has been made using a pencil. If it was a crack, it couldn't be scratched off. I checked it personally," he said. However, Noufal, the beneficiary who was given ownership of the house, objected to the minister's action. "It was the officials of Uralungal who marked that area where there is a leak. I didn't mark it. Is there a necessity for a minister to come here and erase that mark?," he asked. He said that since he is the owner of the house, he could have been asked where the crack is. He said that he showed the cracks to the media, including those above the roof as well."I showed the cracks above the roof and under along with the seepage. What wrong did we do for him to erase the marking?" he told the media.He added that after raising the complaint he is facing threats. "Sixteen people from my family died in the disaster. After constructing a house of mine, I didn't have the luck to stay in it. I am in this grief and seeing these cracks I am in mental agony," said Noufal. He said that the minister did not talk to him despite him being there. "I don't know what to tell the minister if he says it is not a crack, don't you all know that it is a crack?" he said.The minister, meanwhile, said that everything will be rectified before the actual handover and that during the launch only patta and documents were formally handed over. The handover of keys was technical, he said.When reporters insisted that the marks were not just on the ceiling but also on the roof, and that water was indeed seeping in, the minister said that the procedures to ensure avoiding water from seeping down were not yet done. He said that water was stagnant above it for 24 hours, and a small seeping of water was found. "It would be cured, and water would be filled again. If epoxy treatment is found to be effective, another layer of waterproofing would be added, he said. Concreting with a thickness of 2 to 7cm will also be done above it. It would be handed over only after that. If a crack appears after handing over, there is defect liability for up to five years and ULCC will have to do that as per contract," he said.He added that the 178 houses would be handed over only after examination by ULCC and the beneficiary concerned.