A day before the scheduled visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the landslide-affected Wayanad, the Kerala government's cabinet sub-committee met with a visiting central team and requested Rs 2,000 crore for rehabilitation and relief efforts in the disaster-stricken area. This comes as former Wayanad MP expressed confidence that PM Modi would Wayanad landslides a national disaster following his visit.
The central team, led by Rajeev Kumar, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, visited the affected region and interacted with survivors. The inter-ministerial central team acknowledged the significant impact of the Wayanad landslide, noting that a detailed study is necessary, news agency PTI reported.
The team met with the Kerala cabinet sub-committee to discuss rescue operations, relief camps, autopsies, the handover of bodies to relatives, funerals, the collection of DNA samples, and the details of missing persons.
Rahul Gandhi Appreciates PM Modi's Decision Of Visiting Wayanad
Senior congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi appreciated PM Modi for his decision to personally take stock of the tragedy. He wrote in his post on his X, " Thank you, Modi ji, for visiting Wayanad to personally take stock of the tragedy. This is a good decision. I am confident that once the Prime Minister sees the extent of the devastation firsthand, he will declare it a national disaster."
Earlier, Dr. Sekhar L. Kuriakose, Member Secretary of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), outlined the potential causes of the landslide. The state government informed the central team that the Chooralmala, Mundakkai, and Punchiri Mattam regions of Wayanad have experienced major losses in both residential and agricultural areas.
The Vijayan government also stated that Rs 2,000 crore is required solely for rehabilitation efforts. Significant losses have occurred in agriculture, livestock, houses, buildings, commercial establishments, roads, electricity, and private properties. The central team was also shown drone footage of the disaster-hit area, PTI reported.
Kerala Govt Outlines Relief Measures For Wayanad Landslide Victims
The state government announced that those in relief camps will be relocated to various houses, including government quarters identified for the purpose.
Minister P. A. Muhammad Riyas said that 125 houses, including government residential quarters, are ready for people to move into.
Riyas added that the district collector has been instructed by the cabinet sub-committee to arrange furniture and other home appliances needed to accommodate the survivors. He mentioned that it will take at least 90 days to clean the disaster-hit areas, and relief camps will remain open as long as necessary.
The state government also announced that survivors will receive cash assistance. The cabinet sub-committee emphasised the strict stance of the government against financial institutions demanding loan repayments from disaster-affected families and requested the central team's intervention on this issue.
According to the latest reports, 226 people have lost their lives in the landslide that occurred on July 30. A total of 197 body parts have been recovered, with 133 people still missing. Currently, 78 people are receiving treatment in various hospitals.
The government informed that there will be no search operations on Saturday due to the visit of PM Modi, but they will resume on Sunday. There are 23 relief camps operating in Wayanad District, sheltering 2,243 people from 744 families.
It further added that fourteen camps are functioning in the disaster-hit area alone, housing 1,855 people from 642 families, including 451 children and 700 women.