Now Reading: Two decades after highway eviction, Kochi families still homeless
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Two decades after highway eviction, Kochi families still homeless
Eighteen years after being evicted to build National Highway 966A in Kochi, 316 families are still waiting for the full rehabilitation package promised by the Kerala government. While all families received land…
Eighteen years after being evicted to build National Highway 966A in Kochi, 316 families are still waiting for the full rehabilitation package promised by the Kerala government. While all families received land on paper, 192 plots are marshy and uninhabitable, directly contradicting a 2008 Kerala High Court order that plots must support two-storey houses with electricity and water. None of the families have received the job promised by the Cochin Port Authority, and the Rs 5,000 monthly rent was stopped after two years.
The 17-km highway connects the Vallarpadam container terminal to NH 544, built under a contract with Dubai Port World. Evictions were carried out violently on February 6, 2008, with police demolishing homes and lathi-charging protesters. It took 45 days of protests, including a self-immolation attempt, for the state to announce the Moolampilly Package offering 5-6 cents of land, rent, relocation fee, and one job per family.
Last month, the Ernakulam district administration decided to refill the marshland so construction can start, but evictees call it too late. Fifty-two of the displaced have died without receiving the full benefits.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Kalamassery, Vallarpadam highway is a rare example of a national highway built entirely within a single state, linking a port terminal run by a Dubai-based conglomerate to the national grid. The 2008 evictions were among the most aggressive in Kerala's recent history, with police demolishing homes by hand after heavy machinery got stuck. The key number to watch is 192, the uninhabitable plots, which top what the High Court ordered in 2008. With land refilling only starting this year, the real test is whether the current district administration will act before more of the 316 families, already 52 members dead, see justice.
Source: thenewsminute.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
