Wayanad: Construction of the Mundakkai–Chooralmala township project began on Wednesday at the Elstone Estate land near Kalpetta, with foundation work for the model house and land levelling for the first cluster of houses.

The government had taken possession of the 64-acre estate on April 12 following a Kerala High Court directive and handed it over to the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS), the project’s lead contracting agency, the following day.

ULCCS CEO Arun Babu told Onmanorama that the construction of the model house is underway, alongside road-laying and ground levelling for the first phase of cluster houses. “We are focusing entirely on completing the first phase of houses at the fastest pace,” he said, adding that common facilities and buildings would be constructed in the second phase.

Currently, a 40-member ULCCS team is actively engaged at the site. “More workers will join in the coming days as many are away for Vishu celebrations,” Arun Babu said. However, unseasonal summer rains have hampered daily progress, affecting the labourers’ ability to meet work targets. Additional manpower and machinery are expected soon to accelerate the construction process.

It may be recalled that ULCCS had initiated road works on the same day the High Court permitted the government to take over the land after it deposited ₹17.77 crore with the court registry, in addition to ₹26.5 crore remitted earlier. Meanwhile, Elstone Estate’s management had moved the High Court against the land acquisition, demanding ₹549 crore in compensation for the 64.4705 hectares taken over for the township project.