HIF India to build six houses for landslide-affected families in Wayanad
Mangaluru: In a bid to support families affected by the recent landslides in Wayanad, Mangaluru-based NGO HIF India has launched a project to construct six houses through crowd-funding efforts. The initiative, aimed at providing shelter to those who may not qualify for government rehabilitation schemes due to a lack of documentation, is expected to be completed in four months.
The NGO has already raised around ₹45 lakh from donors, which will be used exclusively for the construction of houses. A private construction company has agreed to build 600 square-foot houses for ₹7.15 lakh each. Applications will soon be invited to select beneficiaries, with priority given to families that cannot access government aid. Local social workers and NGOs will assist in the scrutiny process.
HIF India office-bearers are currently in Wayanad seeking land donations for the construction. Three donors have already come forward, offering plots located between 10 and 25 kilometers from Chooralmala, one of the worst-hit areas in the landslide. The donated land will first be transferred to HIF India through a gift deed, and once construction is complete, it will be handed over to the beneficiaries through another deed.
Farooq, the general secretary of HIF India, highlighted the plight of migrant workers who have lived in Wayanad for years, working primarily in the tourism sector, and have lost everything in the disaster. Many of these workers lack the necessary documents to apply for government housing and are in desperate need of support.
Farooq also said that those with proper documents would eventually receive government rehabilitation and stressed on the need to prioritize undocumented families in this humanitarian effort.
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Snowfall blocks two key roads providing alternative connectivity to Kashmir
Rajouri/Jammu (PTI): Traffic on the Mughal and Sinthan Top roads, which provide alternate connectivity to Kashmir, was temporarily suspended on Sunday due to light to moderate snowfall in the high-altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
However, traffic on the 270-kilometre Jammu-Srinagar national highway -- the only all weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country -- was plying as usual despite intermittent rains that ended the over one-and-a-half months long dry spell, they said.
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The Mughal road, which connects the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri with south Kashmir's Shopian, was closed for traffic as a precautionary measure after more than three inches of snow was recorded at Peer Ki Gali on Sunday afternoon.
A group of three tea vendors are left stranded on the road and efforts are on to evacuate them to safety, officials said.
After they were trapped in the snow, the vendors made passionate appeals through video messages urging the authorities to rescue them. The Border Roads Organisation has taken up snow clearance work and is trying to reach the stranded persons, officials said.
The Sinthan Top road, which connects Kishtwar and Doda districts in Jammu with south Kashmir's Anantnag, was also closed after moderate snowfall in the higher reaches.
Both the mountainous roads usually remain closed for several months due to heavy snowfall during winter.
