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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Committee condoles death of ‘key figure behind Moolampilly Rehabilitation Package'
The forceful eviction of 10 families from Moolampilly, in the idyllic village of Kadamakkudy, for the rail and road connectivity to the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) on February 6, 2008, marked a tumultuous episode during the tenure of former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. The affected families launched a protest the very next day at Menaka Junction, demanding rehabilitation and compensation. It continued until March 22, 2008, when the State government announced a rehabilitation package that has since come to be known as the 'Moolampilly Rehabilitation Package'. Hardly a fortnight after the eviction, on February 20, Mr. Achuthanandan made a hard-hitting statement, alleging that the Moolampilly protest had been infiltrated by 'Maoist elements'. The next day, the late jurist V.R. Krishna Iyer, who had been at the forefront of the protest for the rights of the evictees, held a press conference at the protest pandhal, taking issue with the Chief Minister's statement. Mr. Achuthanandan was in Kochi that weekend to attend three different programmes. He dropped in at Mr. Iyer's house and expressed regret for his statement, clarifying that he had been misled by bureaucrats. 'V.S.' greatness was in accepting the mistake and expressing regret,' said Francis Kalathungal, general convener, Moolampilly Rehabilitation Package Coordination Committee. Mr. Achuthanandan went further and undertook additional course correction when his government declared the rehabilitation package. A Cabinet subcommittee comprising then Ministers for Revenue, Law, and Registration—K.P. Rajendran, M. Vijayakumar, and S. Sarma, respectively—formulated the package after holding consultations with MLAs, political party representatives, and affected families. The package was notified by then Revenue Principal Secretary Nivedita P. Haran on March 19, 2008, following which the affected families called off their protest three days later. The statement issued by the coordination committee condoling his death on Monday (July 21, 2025) credited the late former Chief Minister as the key figure behind the package. That the package remains only partially implemented 17 years later, however, continues to be a sore point. As many as 316 families were evicted from the villages of Mulavukad, Moolampilly, Kothad, Cheranalloor, Eloor, Manjummal, Vaduthala, Elamakkara, and Ponekkara for rail and road connectivity to the ICTT.
The Hindu
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Moolampilly package: Revenue minister petitioned over delay in implementing monitoring panel decisions
The Moolampilly Coordination Committee (MCC) has submitted a petition to the Revenue Minister, demanding the implementation of the decisions taken at the last meeting of the monitoring committee reviewing the progress of the Moolampilly package for families evicted for rail and road connectivity to the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT). The petition was submitted to mark the anniversary of the last meeting of the monitoring committee chaired by the District Collector on June 27, 2024. The committee, which was mandated to meet monthly to review the progress of the rehabilitation package, has convened only irregularly, with long gaps between meetings. The June 2024 meeting was the first in five years. The monitoring committee was formed by the Additional Principal Secretary (Revenue) following a meeting held in the Chief Minister's chamber on June 6, 2011. The committee was expected to hold monthly meetings to review the implementation of the package and submit reports to the Revenue Minister. Representatives of the evicted families have consistently cooperated with the committee. The authorities have yet to act on a decision taken at the last meeting to issue evictee cards to the families, despite it involving no financial burden to the State exchequer. The decision to issue the cards was taken at a meeting held in 2018, and the MCC had submitted all relevant data of the eligible beneficiaries. Though the District Collector had promised to resolve the issues discussed at the last meeting within three months, there has been little progress, the MCC said in a statement issued here. The Cochin Port Trust (CPT) has yet to provide an update on the government's original promise to offer a job to one eligible member from each evicted family as part of the rehabilitation package. At the last meeting, the CPT representative claimed to be unaware of the government order dated March 19, 2008, which assured employment and promised to verify and report back. In 2008, a total of 316 families were evicted from Mulavukad, Moolampilly, Kothad, Cheranalloor, Eloor, Manjummal, Vaduthala, Elamakkara, and Ponekkara for rail and road connectivity for the ICTT project without any prior rehabilitation package. The district administration is responsible for implementing the package, which the evictees secured through sustained protest. The MCC questioned why the government had not shown the same urgency in implementing the rehabilitation package as it did in carrying out the evictions. So far, 38 evictees have died without receiving the promised benefits, while many others remain bedridden.
