CM Vijayan hands over 332 new homes to displaced fisherfolk in Muttathara

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In A relief to hundreds of displaced fisherman families, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday handed over keys of newly bult houses to 332 beneficiaries at a function held at Muttathara in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. Inaugurating the event, the chief minister said that Kerala with its long coastline faces numerous challenges related to climate and sea erosion. The fisherfolk are forced to live close to the sea making them vulnerable to environmental hazards because of the nature of their occupation. The Punargeham scheme was launched to provide safe housing to such communities, he said. Prathyasa flat complex for fishermen under Punargeham scheme was launched in February 2022. Each flat was built at a cost of Rs 20 lakh and includes a hall, kitchen and two bedrooms. The units are estimated to have a market value of Rs 30 lakh. The beneficiaries, most of whom displaced by Cyclone Ockhi, have been residing at Valiyathura godown and school premises. They have been rehabilitated under the scheme. Among the recipients are 162 families who were previously living in rented accommodations, 19 families under government quota, and 133 families approved by the district-level committee. The flat complex has come up on 8 acres of land handed over by the Dairy Department and was constructed at a cost of Rs 81 crore by Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS). Environmental clearance has been granted to construct 18 more flats at Muttathara. The Punargeham scheme, since its launch in December 2019, aims to rehabilitate families living within 50 metres of the high-tide line. Since the launch, the government has given administrative sanction worth Rs 2,450 crore. As many as 9,104 beneficiaries have expressed willingness to relocate under the scheme. As many as 4,421 families have received approval from the district-level committees and around 2488 families have been rehabilitated. Protest over allocation, neglect overshadows launch of new fisherfolk flats in Muttathara