Adimaly: The unscientific soil excavation for the National Highway has forced one of Adimaly’s earliest settlers to abandon his farmland and two-storied home, both built through four decades of hard work and move to a rented house. Cheblayil Devassy, an 80-year-old farmer and his wife Mary have been compelled to leave their beloved property after it was declared part of a disaster-prone zone, following the reckless excavation carried out for highway development.

Devassy migrated from Pala to Adimaly forty years ago and purchased a 40-acre plot, which lies alongside the national highway. Through years of dedicated effort, he developed a thriving farm rich with high-yielding pepper creepers, 200 nutmeg trees (100 of which are productive), 300 areca palm trees and numerous coconut trees. At the centre of this agricultural land stands a seven-room, double-storied concrete house.

A tiled road, about 100 feet long, winds from the house to the national highway. Devassy says these were all assets he built over four decades.

National Highway development work began in the area about a year ago. Devassy repeatedly urged the authorities to carry out soil excavation at a slanted angle to prevent damage to his land. However, his pleas went unheard. Despite his protests, the soil was cut vertically to a depth of nearly 30 feet and construction continued without regard for the consequences.

This led to a major soil slip, causing a large portion of the farmland to cave in. And with this, the height of the cut from the road now stands at over 40 feet. Repeated complaints to the National Highway and Revenue authorities went unheeded. The inevitable disaster struck last Saturday, destroying nearly an acre of farmland. A deep crack has now appeared on the ground near the house, and Devassy is relocating with deep anxiety about the fate of his home. His family includes his son Biju, daughter-in-law Shiji, and grandchildren Ann Maria, Rose Maria, and Jerald Biju.