Family’s sole survivor left out of township beneficiary list

Kozhikode: As state govt prepares to inaugurate the township for Mundakkai-Chooralmala survivors on Mar 1, Mundakkai native Sanooja P (27), who lost her father Basheer, mother Zeenath and brothers Shalu Shemin and Salman Faris in the landslide, remains off the beneficiary list. Despite being the sole survivor, authorities rejected her request for inclusion in the housing list citing technical grounds.On the day of the tragedy, a pregnant Sanooja stayed with her parents at Mundakkai Padi. She returned to her husband's home because her mother asked her to, citing heavy rain. That night, her parents and brothers moved from the padi to her mother's ancestral home near Mundakkai mosque, thinking that the elevated location would be safer. The landslide swept them away. Sanooja now lives in Vellamunda with her husband Shamshudeen, a bus conductor, and their two children. The couple does not own a house and she did not receive a home in the township.Shamshudeen said authorities gave ex-gratia compensation for her parents' deaths but gave nothing for her brothers' deaths. "They denied that payment because she is married. They are using that technicality to deny her claim even though she is the only surviving member of the family," he said. He added that the monthly rent and livelihood support given to affected families stopped after three months.The family's trauma was compounded by circumstances surrounding the recovery of the bodies. The bodies of her father and a brother were never recovered. Her mother and the other brother were identified through DNA testing after other families buried them, forcing a painful exhumation before the remains were handed over.Shamshudeen alleged that while authorities cite procedural grounds to deny benefits to Sanooja, there have been two other instances in which surviving women were included in the beneficiary list. Residents of Mundakkai Padi, Ratta Padi and Padavettikunnu claim they too were excluded from the beneficiary list, citing distance norms recommended by John Mathai Committee. They are planning a protest outside the township in Kalpetta on the day of its inauguration. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will lay the foundation stone for the homes Congress will build for survivors at Kunnambetta at 2.30pm on Thursday.