19-05-2025
Protesters stage protest over delay in payment of rent
Kozhikode: The survivors of the
Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide
, under the aegis of the Janashabdam Action Committee, organised a march to the Vythiri taluk office to protest the delay in the payment of rent assistance to the survivors at 10am on Monday.
Many of the affected families said that it was already 19 days into May, but govt's rent payments were yet to be credited. Around 600 landslide survivors used to receive a monthly rental amount as part of the rehabilitation efforts of the state govt.
The action committee had announced the stir on May 15 but called off the protest after the govt provided one month's financial assistance of Rs 9000.
"But the non-payment of rent hit the survivors hard and we were left with no option but to take out a protest march to the taluk office," said Shajimon Chooralmala, convenor of the action committee.
The march witnessed tense moments as protesters tried to break the police cordon.
Vythiri tahasildar Bindu came to the spot and held talks with the protesters. The Wayanad district collector also took up the matter with the state govt and assured the protesters that the rent payment would be made as soon as the district administration received the funds from the govt.
By around 2pm, the rent amount was deposited in the bank accounts, following which the protest was called off.
