Kasargod, 15 September (H.S.):A LIFE Mission housing complex at Bendichal in Chemmanad panchayat is deteriorating due to official neglect, despite nearly 90 per cent of its construction having been completed.

The four-storey building, being constructed beside the Chattanchal-Deli road with financial assistance from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), was intended to provide homes to 44 impoverished families who neither own land nor have proper shelter. The project has an estimated cost of Rs 6.64 crore.

Wild creepers and plants have spread across the building, including its main walls. Vines have also entered the structure through gaps around plumbing pipes installed on the floor, raising concerns over the structural safety of the prefabricated building.

The housing complex, covering 26,848 square feet, was designed using modern prefabricated technology without employing conventional stone or timber. Hyderabad-based Pennar Industries Limited was awarded the principal construction contract worth Rs 5.15 crore. External and allied works worth Rs 56.66 lakh were entrusted to contractor Abdul Vashid.

Of the Rs 5.38 crore spent on the project so far, the main contractor has received Rs 4.72 crore. An additional Rs 59.9 lakh was sanctioned under the Kasaragod Development Package to provide a drinking water connection through the Kerala Water Authority.

However, the contractor stopped work and withdrew from the site last November without completing several essential components required before the apartments could be handed over to beneficiaries.

Pending works include plumbing fittings, electrical wiring, installation of a diesel generator and fire-water tank, an access ramp for persons with disabilities, a compound wall, entrance gate and waste-treatment plant.

With no proper maintenance or security at the site, vegetation continues to invade the unfinished structure. The prolonged delay has left the future of the ambitious housing project uncertain and shattered the hopes of 44 families who have been waiting for permanent homes.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman