Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 27 (PTI) The Kerala Cabinet on Thursday decided to acquire the Elstone Estate in Kalpetta Municipality to rehabilitate victims of the landslide that occurred in the Mundakkai-Chooralmala area of Wayanad district on July 30 last year.

The government had previously planned to create a township for the victims at Nedumbala and Elstone estates in the district.

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However, since the list of disaster-affected families prepared by the Wayanad District Collector does not exceed 430, only Elstone Estate will be acquired for rehabilitation in the first phase, according to an official release.

Families eligible for the Rs 15 lakh financial aid allocated to landslide-affected households choosing to live outside the township have been excluded from the list.

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The acquired land will be reorganised into plots of seven cents each to provide housing for the beneficiaries.

The Cabinet also approved suggestions regarding land tenure in the proposed model township.

Elstone Estate, identified for township construction, is located within a municipal area. The income limit of the beneficiaries will not be a criterion for land allocation.

The land and house provided as part of the residential unit will be heritable but cannot be sold or transferred for 12 years.

The residential unit can be allotted jointly in the names of the survivors' next of kin.

The government will evaluate, on a case-by-case basis, whether beneficiaries can take loans by mortgaging the land and house before the 12-year restriction period ends, it said.

Before receiving a house in the township or the Rs 15 lakh compensation, beneficiaries will be required to dismantle and remove usable windows, doors, and other items from houses listed as damaged, the release said.

The sponsorship amount for constructing a house will be Rs 20 lakh.

The Rs 300 monthly allowance currently provided to disaster victims will continue under the same conditions. The State Empowered Committee will oversee further action in this regard.

The Cabinet also decided to provide Rs 1,000 worth of coupons per month to disaster-affected families living in rented accommodation, distributed through the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) from the CSR Fund. Each coupon will be valid for two months, according to the release.

The draft list for the second phase—covering houses located outside the no-go zone but completely isolated due to the disaster—will be compiled by the Wayanad District Collector, the release stated.

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