Wayanad: A day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to landslide-hit Wayanad, the Kerala government has requested the centre to grant Rs 2000 crore for the rehabilitation of the thousands who were displaced by the natural disaster. On Friday, the central team, led by Rajeev Kumar, who is a joint secretary with the Ministry of Home Affairs, visited the disaster-hit region and interacted with the survivors. During a meeting with the central team, the cabinet sub-committee of the Kerala government shared concerns on the rehabilitation and requested to grant Rs 2,000 crore for the same.
The inter-ministerial central team said the impact of the Wayanad landslide is huge and a detailed study is required. Various rescue operations, relief camps, autopsies, handing over of bodies to relatives of the deceased, funerals, the collection of DNA samples and the details of the missing people were discussed in the meeting.
Member Secretary of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) Dr Sekhar L Kuriakose detailed the possible reasons behind the landslide. The state government, in a release, said it has informed the central team that the Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Punchirimattam regions of Wayanad have suffered major losses both in residential areas and in the agricultural sector. Rs 2,000 crore is required for rehabilitation purposes alone, the state government said. Huge losses have been incurred with regard to the agriculture sector, livestock, houses, buildings, commercial establishments, roads and electricity, as well as private properties. The state representatives showed the central team the drone videos of the disaster-hit region.
125 houses ready for temporary rehabilitation
The state government said those who are in relief camps will be rehabilitated to various houses, including government quarters identified for the purpose. Minister P A Mohammed Riyas said there are 125 houses, including government residential quarters, and most of them are ready for people to move into. Riyas said the cabinet sub-committee has directed the district collector to make arrangements for the furniture and other home appliances required to rehabilitate the survivors. He said the cleaning work in the disaster-hit regions will take at least 90 days, and the relief camps will continue to house people as long as needed. The state government also said that the survivors will be provided cash assistance.
The cabinet sub-committee said the state government has taken a stern stand against financial institutions demanding loan repayments from disaster-struck families, and sought the intervention of the central team on this matter.
According to the latest reports, a total of 226 people lost their lives so far in the devastating landslide that happened on July 30. As many as 197 body parts have been recovered, while there are 133 people missing. Currently, 78 people are in various hospitals undergoing treatment.
The government has informed that there will be no search operations on Saturday due to the prime minister's visit but they will resume on Sunday. There are 23 relief camps operating in Wayanad District housing 2,243 people from 744 families. There are 14 camps functioning in the disaster-hit region alone where 1,855 people from 642 families are housed. This includes 451 children and 700 women, the government said.
(With PTI inputs)
