Raigad landslide: Irsalwadi survivors set for renewed hope

The state government has approved and allocated 65 acres of land in survey No 27 Manivali village Chouk Panchayat for the rehabilitation of Irsalwadi landslide survivors Remarkably MSRDC Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited the planning authority for the land development in Manivali village Khalapur tehsil swiftly approved the development plan on Tuesday August 8 They promptly sent the essential layout plan for the proposed construction site to the divisional commissioner KonkanState government officials speaking to midday revealed that the town planning officials at MSRDC expedited the layout approval process The approved layout plan was dispatched to the divisional commissioner office on Tuesday evening by MSRDCSatyajit Bade additional CEO of zilla parishad Raigad and his team inspect the landldquoWithin 24 hours of receiving the district administrationrsquos proposal for land allotment it was forwarded to the state government and approved promptly Radheshyam Mopalwar vice chairman and MD of MSRDC along with his town planning department efficiently approved the layout plan and issued it on Tuesdayrdquo explained Dr Mahendra Kalyankar divisional commissioner KonkanldquoWith the final layout approval from MSRDC in hand the district administration will formally transfer the land to CIDCO as directed by the state government CIDCO will then proceed with their tasks including tendering and assigning the construction work to the winning contractorrdquo clarified Dr KalyankarIn contrast to the multiagency approach for the Taliye landslide rehabilitation where various entities collaborated the Irsalwadi project will be solely handled by CIDCO The layout planrsquos approved facilities such as Anganwadi centres schools community temples internal roads water and sewage connections and more will be provided by CIDCO In a previous article titled lsquoWaiting to Unpackrsquo dated August 6 midday had highlighted the plight of Taiye landslide survivors which claimed 88 livesAccording to government sources ldquoChief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief ministers were personally overseeing relief and rehabilitation work since the landslide on July 19 Hence the entire state administration in contrast to Taliye will execute the Irsalwadi rehabilitation project efficiently with CIDCO as the sole nodal agencyrdquo Dr Kalyankar too opined the sameAbout the plotThe chosen plot Manivali village Chouk Panchayat has been mutually agreed upon by the Irsalwadi survivor villagers elected representatives and the state government This plot previously used for cattle grazing is set to accommodate approximately 43 families with plots of around 3000 sq feet 3 guntas Independent houses of approximately 600 plus sq feet will be constructed on these plotsDesign of the housesRegarding the design of the rehabilitated houses in Irsalwadi A local revenue official informed it will be solely determined by CIDCO Once the project is completed CIDCO will transfer it to the district administration for the allocation of houses to survivorsWork for survivorsSunil Parde an Irshalwadi survivor expressed his gratitude for the support provided by the local administration and state government during their stay in containers He was thankful for the Anganwadi that his daughter Bhavika four years old attended ldquoI have no work and most of the day I spend roaming in Chouk aimlessly At least before the landslide I had multiple tasks in handrdquo he saidAyub Tamboli tehsildar of Khalapur mentioned their efforts to secure jobs for survivors ldquoWe are in discussions with private companies and individuals willing to provide jobs We aim to offer them skill development courses for sustainable livelihoodsrdquo When asked about the proximity of the training centres or workplaces to the survivorsrsquo residences the tehsildar confirmed that they will be conveniently located