Wayanad: The Kerala government on Wednesday said it was taking immediate steps to rehabilitate all the families affected by the massive landslides in this north Kerala district more than a week ago.

The announcement was made by state Revenue Minister K Rajan who is part of a Cabinet sub-committee currently camped out close to the disaster areas to assess the situation there.

Rajan, after an emergency meeting of the committee with the panchayat presidents and secretaries at the Collectorate on the issue of temporary rehabilitation of people in the relief camps, said that assistance will be provided to all eligible persons including those in camps, homes of relatives and hospitals.

There is no truth in the campaigns which claim that people have to register themselves at the camps to be included in the rehabilitation plan, he said.

"The rehabilitation package will be prepared on the basis of accurate data from the landslide affected areas and not on the basis of who is living in the camps," the minister said.

He said that the propaganda that only those in the camps will get help was not true.

Giving details of the steps taken, Rajan said that the committee has directed the local bodies to identify vacant houses, quarters, flats and hostels within the panchayat limits for temporary resettlement of the people living in camps operating in various schools.

It will also help to resume classes in the schools where the camps are running, he said.

The minister also said that government quarters and hotels will also be used for temporary resettlement of the landslide survivors.

He also said that where private accommodations, including flat complexes, are concerned, the government will fix the rent and pay the same and none of the survivors would be burdened with the payments.

Rajan said the plan for temporary resettlement of people is being implemented to provide more comfortable accommodation for the affected people and to resume studies in the schools which are functioning as camps.

The first consideration for rehabilitation of the victims would be the vacant houses, government quarters, hotels, home stays and hostels in panchayats close to the disaster-hit areas, he said.

The minister said that the government's plan is to safely relocate the people living in the camps in a phased manner.

The number of deaths resulting from the devastating landslides in the Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of Wayanad on July 30 has increased to 226 with around 138 people missing.

The search operations for those missing from the landslides-hit Chooralmala and Mundakkai areas continued for the ninth day with 1,026 personnel from various forces, including the army and navy, over 500 volunteers and heavy machinery being deployed there.
(With PTI inputs.)