Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a review meeting on Saturday after undertaking an aerial as well as on-the-ground survey of the landslide-hit sites of Chooralmala and Mundakkai in Wayanad in Kerala that had left more than 400 people dead and about 150 still missing on July 30.
The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor Arif Muhammed Khan, Union Minister Suresh Gopi, State Ministers A Rajan, AK Saseendran, PA Mohammed Riyas, and Kerala ADGP (law and order) MR Ajith Kumar. Earlier the Prime Minister visited the hospital to meet and interact with the victims and survivors of the landslide in Wayanad.
Mr Modi told the meeting that he considered the Wayanad landslide no ordinary calamity. “This is not an ordinary calamity; it has devastated the dreams of thousands of families. I have personally assessed the situation on the ground, visited the relief camps where victims are sheltered, and met with injured patients in the hospital.”
He said since he learnt about the calamity, he had been closely monitoring the situation. “Since learning about the landslide, I have been closely monitoring the situation. We quickly mobilized all relevant Central Government agencies to assist with the disaster.” A Minister of State was sent to the state to take stock of the situation. Also, NDRF, Army and Air Force teams were deployed for rescue and relief operations.
The Prime Minister assured all support to the state and survivors in rehabilitation. He also emphasised that the central government would make all efforts to fulfil all state government requests. The Prime Minister said that his heart felt heavy as he visited the landslide-hit sites and also when he met the survivors at the relief camp. He highlighted the importance of collective efforts in rehabilitation.
“Centre will not leave any stone unturned in relief and rehabilitation efforts in Wayanad: PM. We will provide generous help to Kerala once their memorandum arrives. I don’t think money will be a constraint. We will make all efforts to fulfil the expectations of the Kerala Government,” said PM Modi. A day before the Prime Minister visited the landslide-struck region, the Kerala government had sought ₹ 2,000 crore in financial assistance for the rehabilitation and relief work in the disaster-hit region.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi visited a relief camp and met survivors of landslides in Wayanad. The Prime Minister interacted with the survivors at the camp. As the Prime Minister undertook an on-the-ground review of the affected sites, he was briefed on the situation by Kerala ADGP (law and order) MR Ajith Kumar.
After landing at Kalpetta, he first stopped at the damaged state-run GVHS School Vellarmala. “How many children lost their loved ones,” an emotional PM Modi asked Mr Vijayan and Mr Suresh Gopi who were accompanying him. Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) was also present and has been in the affected areas for the past three days.
PM Modi was also deeply moved on seeing the damaged school has suffered and was asked numerous questions to the Chief Minister about the rehabilitation of the landslide victims. The G.V.H.S. School Vellarmala had 582 students of which 27 students are reportedly missing.
The Prime Minister spent 15 minutes at the school and also enquired about the plans for a new school building. PM Modi also visited the 190-foot Bailey bridge erected by the Indian Army, walked through it and interacted with the defence officials. He also visited a local hospital where he met the injured victims and also visited a relief camp
The state and the opposition parties have requested the central government to declare this as a national disaster and a severe calamity. An Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) has been constituted by the Central Government to visit the affected areas of the State and review the situation. The team is visiting the affected areas for the last three days.
Kerala government has assured immediate assistance to those affected by the landslides, helping them relocate to another place, as per the Chief Minister’s Office. All those affected in Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas will receive this assistance. An adult member from families who have lost their livelihood will receive a daily allowance of ₹ 300. This benefit will be available for up to two individuals per family.
“I have closely witnessed a natural disaster before, in 1979 during the Morbi floods in Gujarat, where 2,500 people died. I stayed there for six months and worked as a volunteer, experiencing the problems first-hand. Therefore, I can imagine what the people of Wayanad are going through,” said the PM.
Mr Modi began his visit at Dr Moopen’s Medical College after offering floral tributes to the four staff of the private institution who were also killed in the landslide. The survivors shared their harrowing experiences with the prime Minister and he consoled them. PM Modi also visited Dr Moopen’s Wayanad Medical College at Rippon and interacted with six persons, Avanthika, Arun, Shruthi Mohapatra, Jassila, Raseena and Anil, undergoing treatment at the hospital in the landslide. Ms Avanthika lost her parents and her brother in the disaster, Ms Mohapatra, an Odisha native lost her husband and Anil lost his mother and lone child in the catastrophe.
The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi who had represented Wayanad in the last House, had on Wednesday demanded a ‘higher compensation’ and ‘comprehensive rehabilitation package’ for the people affected due to the landslide in Wayanad. Gandhi also called on the government to declare the recent calamity in Wayanad a ‘national disaster.’