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.
Published – June 27, 2025 01:00 am IST
