Ambalavayal: Even as the State Government proudly announces that it has provided new homes for 377 families and restored 139 houses as part of its mission in making Wayanad district free from extreme poverty, many still live in leaking sheds, struggling to find even three meals a day. Among them are infants just a few months old.

At Kadassery, the lives of about 30 people remain unchanged, both before and after the government’s declaration of having eradicated extreme poverty. These people, belonging to six families of the Cholanaikkan tribal community, were once brought out of the deep forests with promises of a better life. Today, they live without access to even the most basic amenities. On most days, food is cooked only once.

In this single, dilapidated shed with a leaking roof, people of all ages, from seven-month-old infants to elders in their sixties, live together in harsh conditions. Authorities are yet to bring any significant relief to the families here. Once dependent on forest produce for survival, many now work as daily wage labourers, though the earnings are meagre and irregular.

The families live in a temporary shed erected on land donated by a private individual. With no stable source of income, they struggle to buy even essential food supplies. The infant children here are suffering from malnutrition.

Members of the community say that the food support they once received while living inside the Parappanpara forest is now available only in name. While official reports continue to highlight the distribution and restoration of houses, the ground reality tells another story, with families still surviving under leaking roofs and crumbling shelters.

Across Wayanad, several tribal settlements continue to house families living in such dire conditions, far removed from the government’s promise of an extreme poverty-free district.