Modi visits landslide-hit Wayanad, vows central help

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 10

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday conducted an aerial survey of landslide-hit areas of Kerala’s Wayanad assuring all possible help for the rehabilitation of survivors and reconstruction of devastated swathes.

“This is no ordinary tragedy. The Centre will do its best to meet the expectations of the Kerala Chief Minister on assistance. No work will stop for lack of funds. We will take a liberal view once we receive the evaluation report from the state,” said the Prime Minister, who was flanked by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan in Wayanad.

During the aerial survey, the PM saw Iruvazhinji Puzha river, the origin of the July 30 disaster and assessed the worst-affected areas of Punchirimattam, Mundakkai and Chooralmala. He later met survivors in relief camps and the injured in hospitals. “Today, I saw first-hand the demonic force nature unleashed here,” he said, urging Kerala to draw a long-term strategy for the rehabilitation of children who have been devastated by the landslides. He said it was the collective responsibility of everyone to ensure the dreams of survivors were not shattered.

The PM said a central team had also assessed the area and the government, after receiving a report from the state, would take a liberal view on financial support.

Modi also recalled his days as a volunteer in Gujarat’s Morbi, which witnessed 2,500 deaths after torrential rains in 1979 swept off an earth dam, ravaging the entire town. “I know what this tragedy means,” said the PM, chairing an evaluation meeting of the tragedy. Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan said after the meeting that the state had sought Rs 2,000 crore for rehabilitation alone. “Other losses amount to Rs 1,200 crore,” he said.

Union Government sources, meanwhile, said that on April 1 this year, the Kerala State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) account had Rs 395 crore and the first instalment of Rs 145.60 crore central share of the SDRF was released in advance on July 31. “Out of the Kerala SDRF of Rs 1,780 cr in the past five years, Rs 1,200 crore is central share. Another Rs 445 crore has been given for the State Disaster Mitigation Fund in five years,” the sources said.

Wayanad is due for Lok Sabha bypoll after Congress’ Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat retaining Amethi after the 2024 elections. Congress leader Priyanka Vadra will contest the bypoll while the BJP is likely to field its Kerala chief K Surendran.

In 2013, UPA govt defined national disasters

Though Rahul Gandhi has demanded that the Wayanad tragedy be declared a national disaster, Central Government rules have no such provision.

This was stated in a 2013 Lok Sabha reply by MoS (Home) in Congress-led UPA government Mullappally Ramachandran, who said, “There is no provision to declare a natural disaster as a national disaster. The government adjudges a calamity on a case-to-case basis factoring its magnitude, level of relief assistance and capacity of the state government to tackle the problem. However, for a calamity of ‘severe nature’, additional assistance is considered from the National Disaster Response Fund... States are primarily responsible for rescue and relief.”