BJP leader V Muraleedharan criticised the Kerala government, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, for its handling of the recent landslides in Wayanad that resulted in over 160 fatalities. He attributed the disaster to the state government’s ‘casual approach.’ This statement followed Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim in Parliament on Wednesday that the state had been warned of a potential natural disaster in Wayanad as early as July 23 due to heavy rains.
V Muraleedharan, while speaking to ANI said, “Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha very specifically mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stands with the people of Kerala like a rock and there can be no doubt about that. Amit Shah also said that had the Kerala government worked with alertness when the NDRF battalions landed, that would have saved a lot. He said that he doesn’t want to blame anyone, but at the same time, he put the facts before the house, saying that on July 23, 24, 25 and 26 of July, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued warnings and asked the state government to be prepared and initiate the evacuation of people, but the Kerala government didn’t heed the warning messages.”
Adding further, he said, “Moreover, many agencies in the past have been alerted about the possibility of landslides in the area. In 2020, the Kerala disaster management authority warned that there was an impending tragedy and advised relocating 4,000 families,” said Muraleedharan.
“The village of Mundakkai, which has now been affected by the landslide, was identified as one of the 18 landslide-prone places in the district disaster management plan. But the state government did not pay heed to it and now Kerala is paying the price because of the casual approach of the state government,” said Muraleedharan.
“This area has been identified as an ecologically sensitive area. Despite that, there are more than 300 illegal construction projects in the area. No action has been taken to remove those,” he added.
The disaster has ignited a heated debate among political leaders. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan denied Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim in Parliament on Wednesday that the state had been warned of a potential natural calamity in Wayanad due to heavy rains as early as July 23.”This is not the time to blame each other. However, reports from the Rajya Sabha indicate that the Home Minister claimed they had issued a warning, and Kerala did not respond appropriately,” Pinarayi Vijayan said in a press conference.
Vijayan pointed out that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had only issued an orange alert for Wayanad before the landslides. Despite this, Wayanad received more than 500 millimeters of rain, significantly more than the IMD had forecasted. Following the two major landslides that hit Wayanad on Tuesday morning and caused widespread damage, rescue efforts are being ramped up, political leaders are actively debating the situation, and financial assistance is being organised for the affected area.
The first landslide struck the town of Mundakkai, followed by another in Chooralmala. These severe landslides caused significant destruction in the area, damaging homes and roads, uprooting trees, and increasing the water levels in local bodies, which has impeded rescue operations. Relief and rescue efforts are underway. According to the Kerala Revenue Department, the landslides in Mundakkai and Chooralmala, have resulted in 167 confirmed deaths.
Sources from the Department of Information and Public Relations (PRD) Control Room in Wayanad report that 96 victims have been identified, including 77 men, 67 women, and 22 children. Post-mortem examinations have been completed on 166 bodies and 49 body parts. Of these, 75 bodies have been returned to their families. Rescue teams have transported 219 individuals to hospitals; 78 are still being treated, while 142 have been relocated to relief camps. In Wayanad, 73 people are hospitalised, with five more in Malappuram.
As the death toll continues to rise, the Indian Army has increased its efforts to rescue people who are stranded due to the landslides. According to the Ministry of Defence, “The Army has set up a “Command and Control Centre” headed by Major General VT Mathew, General Officer Commanding, Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, along with Brigadier Arjun Segan, at Kozhikode for coordinating HADR efforts.”
