Five years on, displaced still homeless

KOCHI: Five years after they were evicted from their homes on both sides of the Perandoor canal, 19 families still await rehabilitation. Even after an assurance from the Chief Minister during the Mass Contact Programme, promises remain on paper.“When we gave a plea during the Mass Contact Programme held here, Oommen Chandy assured us that an enquiry will be conducted within two days. But nobody came here to enquire about our situation and no action taken,” said Sarada Ramachandran, who has been living in Libra Hotel near the North Railway Station, along with her daughter Chandrika, for the past five years.Theirs was one of the 31 families evicted from the Perandoor Canal area, as per the direction of the High Court, and temporarily given shelter at the hotel.Among them 12 families were rehabilitated at the Mundamvelli Corporation area near Thoppumpadi.“During ‘Bakrid’, Kochi mayor, deputy mayor, and some officials came here and assured a solution within the two weeks. But that too turned out to be a hollow promise. We got the promise of “action within a week” all these five years. Now we know we are being cheated,” said Sarada.The evictees also alleged that the hotel lacks proper maintenance and has severe sanitation problems. “The hotel is often waterlogged, and drinking water gets mixed with septic wastes. The conditions are quite unbearable,” said Thoppilpedikayil G Raju, another evictee.Raju said that though the corporation assured them a house and one-and-half cents of land at Cheranalloor, the plan was getting delayed. “Corporation officials can solve this problem easily if they want to, but they are not taking any interest in our matter. We suspect that there might be some lobbying behind the allotment of area at Cheranalloor.”In response to the allegations, Mayor Tony Chammany said that the corporation will soon hold a meeting with panchayat officials to take an immediate decision.