House construction stopped, pension unavailable... Kannur family's Life Mission woes

George and his wife, from Chapparapadavu panchayat, Kannur are living in a thatched hut on a neighbor's land as the life mission money and welfare pension has stopped for months.

Kannur: As the government plunged into a financial crisis, it affected the lives of many common people. George and his wife, from Chapparapadavu panchayat, Kannur, are living in a thatched hut on a neighbor's land as the life mission money and welfare pension has stopped for months. Both of them have only a half-constructed house on five acres of land. The couple is worried that they will soon have to vacate the current shed built on a neighbour's land.

George is one of the 378 families who does not have a home in Chapparapadav Panchayat. He applied for a house under the Life Mission scheme when his old home collapsed. He got first consideration in the beneficiary list. George and his wife moved to a thatched hut after demolishing the old house in the hope that he would move as soon as the construction was completed.

The construction of the house started with the first installment. Later Rs 2,80,000 was received two times. However, the money stopped being received during the last stage. Meanwhile, the neighbor has sold his land to other people where the couple is currently staying.

George and his wife's life was sustained by the welfare pension received from the government and it became a crisis when they delayed the pension. In Chapparapatav panchayat, which is under the governance of UDF, there are 314 homeless people who own land. Additionally, there are 64 individuals who do not have either land or a house. Out of these, 100 people have entered into contracts for the construction of houses. The panchayat has revealed that, up until now, funds for the house construction have been sourced from a combination of the gram panchayat's plan fund and the state government's share. However, the main issue is that the district panchayat's share has not been received.

Meanwhile,  preparations are in progress to organize the Happiness Fest in Thaliparam constituency this year.