HIF India hands over five new homes to landslide victims in Wayanad under project Ashiyana
Wayanad, Kerala – May 17, 2025: HIF India on Saturday handed over five newly constructed houses to families who lost their homes in the devastating Wayanad landslide. The initiative is part of the organisation’s long-term rehabilitation campaign, Project Ashiyana, which aims to provide permanent shelter to disaster-affected families.
The landslide, which had claimed over 400 lives and displaced more than 1,000 families, left several households homeless and vulnerable. In response, HIF India launched a targeted housing mission in the region, beginning with land acquisition, planning, and construction.
A key handover ceremony was held at the project site in Wayanad today, attended by HIF India President Adil Parvez, Project Ashiyana Convener S.M. Farooq, other HIF members, community leaders, and local supporters.
Addressing the gathering, the HIF leadership emphasised their commitment to ensuring dignity and stability for displaced families. "This handover is not just about houses. It's about restoring hope, safety, and belonging for these families," said one of the organisers.
Each of the five newly built homes is a robust 2BHK unit, spread over 750 sq. ft., constructed on 5 cents of land. The homes were designed and built by LAGRO Private Limited, ensuring quality and durability to withstand extreme weather conditions.
The success of this project is credited to the joint efforts of various individuals and teams. Nasar Manukka played a crucial role in facilitating land acquisition, while Mohammad Shafiq Kannur led local coordination and ensured smooth execution on the ground.
HIF India was among the first responders during the Wayanad tragedy, providing emergency relief from the very first day. This mission is yet another chapter in their continued humanitarian efforts across the country. The organisation has previously extended support during major disasters like the Kashmir floods, Chennai floods, Kedarnath landslide, and Nepal floods.
With these five homes, the number of houses built under Project Ashiyana has now increased, adding to the 30 homes previously completed in various regions.
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Prime organiser of Messi event in Kolkata arrested over ‘mismanagement’ after stadium chaos
Kolkata (PTI): The police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake Stadium here, following widespread chaos at the venue, which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the stadium unrest, Datta was held by the Bidhannagar Police for “mismanagement” of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said at a press conference.
A senior police officer later confirmed that Dutta has been arrested. Till reports last received, the police were interrogating him and his manager inside one of the departure lounges of the airport.
The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, Kumar said.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated, as they failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having travelled from far and wide, paying hefty sums for tickets.
Police said they were also investigating how organisers allowed sale of bottled waters and beverages inside the stadium premises, which are banned items during such events.
Thousands of water bottles were used as missiles and lobbed inside the pitch by angry spectators, who also uprooted bucket seats from the gallery and used them as ammunition inside the field against the defending police and security personnel.
Spectators alleged that water bottles were being sold at a massive premium inside the stadium despite police disallowing such items from outside at the entry gates.
Police agreed there was an underlying tension in the galleries on account of Messi not showing his footballing skills on the field, which only got aggravated after a bunch of VIPs, including State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and unidentified people, blocked the football icon’s view during the limited time he spent on the ground.
“We are on the job, and will ensure that whoever is responsible for what happened today at Salt Lake Stadium will be punished, and action will be taken against the authorities concerned,” said Jawed Shamim, ADG, Law and Order.
