Wayanad: As the first phase of the Wayanad township project nears completion, 178 houses will be handed over to selected beneficiaries by February. Addressing the media in Kalpetta, Minister OR Kelu said the beneficiaries would be selected through a lucky draw.

“An all-party meeting was held at the Wayanad district collectorate on Monday to decide on the inauguration of the township. A total of 410 houses are being constructed in the township. We have decided to allow each beneficiary to choose their house. Those who lost everything in the landslides will be given priority in the first phase. The houses will be handed over to families after completing all formalities, including electricity and water connections, house number allotment, and issuance of property documents,” the minister said.

He added that around 1,500 workers are currently engaged in the township construction, as the government aims to hand over houses to all beneficiaries before the monsoon.

Minister Kelu, along with T Siddique MLA, visited the township site and reviewed the progress of the work. The decision was taken at the all-party meeting held on Monday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will chair a meeting to finalise the date for the key-handing-over ceremony, said the MLA.

The township is being built on government-acquired land and will feature single-storey houses of 1,000 sq ft on seven-cent plots, with provisions for future expansion into two-storey homes. The township will also include essential amenities such as a health centre, anganwadi, market and community centre.

The Kerala government had laid the foundation stone for the township project at Elstone Estate in Kalpetta on March 27, 2025, to rehabilitate people displaced by the massive landslides in the hilly district.

A total of 266 people were killed, and 32 went missing in the landslides that struck Wayanad’s Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas on July 30, 2024. A total of 630 people were rescued from the mud.