Despite facing continuous threat to life and property, residents of Chellanam are not so keen to accept Punargeham rehabilitation programme introduced in 2019.
The programme is meant for people living within 50 metres of the sea coast and involves rehabilitating them to safer grounds.
“People in Chellanam and Fort Kochi have accepted the programme but are also angry at it. They feel that the ₹10 lakh provided under the scheme to find a suitable plot of land and build a house for a family is grossly inadequate,” said Sheri Thomas of the Kerala Region Latin Catholic Association, which has prominently advocated for the people’s cause.
The resistance to the programme continues, even as several families have temporarily shifted out of their homes over the past three days due to sea erosion and flooding.
Chellanam panchayat president K.L. Joseph said on June 29 (Saturday) that people were not even willing to move into temporary shelters. He added that they often moved to relatives’ or friends’ places and then returned to live in the same houses.
Mr. Joseph said two houses had been seriously damaged since last (June 24) Monday when heavy rains triggered a series of flooding in the coastal village. The worst affected areas are Puthenthode, Kannamaly, and Cheriyakadavu.
Chellanam resident V.T. Sebastian said people were not happy with the offer of ₹10 lakh for constructing houses. The money is insufficient, and they would not opt for the Punargeham programme, he added.
He said several houses had sustained damage in last week’s flooding. Livelihoods had been disrupted, and security was a major issue, he added.
Mr. Thomas said the money provided under the programme was not enough, especially in Ernakulam district where the cost of land was considerably high. People are demanding that the government provide them more money so that they can find plots that are safe and secure.
Mr. Sebastian expressed uncertainty over the rehabilitation project and called it a curtain-raiser to the Blue Economy programme, which wants coastal residents away from the sea to enable free exploitation of marine resources by monopolies.