New Delhi: The Kerala government is collaborating with the Center to help the affected seek relief and rehabilitate to safer areas while the disaster-stricken Wayanad battles to return to routine.
Led by Pinarayi Vijayan, the state government has declared emergency financial assistance for individuals whose houses were destroyed by landslides on July 30. As a result, Rs 10,000 in cash assistance will be given to each family residing in the relief camps.
The Central help was swift and effective. Teams from the Centre were on the ground the morning after the July 30 landslides, launching a significant relief and rescue effort. To conduct rescue operations in Wayanad, around 1,200 rescuers from the NDRF, Army, Air Force, Navy, Fire Services, and Civil Defence were dispatched immediately.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally conducting an airborne reconnaissance of the impacted regions during a Saturday visit to Wayanad to obtain a firsthand assessment of the current situation. His direct involvement shows his commitment to the relief efforts and his desire to meet the displaced at the relief centres.
George Kurien, the Union Minister of State, was on the ground assessing the relief and rescue efforts just one day after the landslides when the true extent of the destruction was still being revealed. His immediate response and dedication to the relief efforts are commendable.
The Minister toured the areas affected by landslides, met with a few displaced families, and obtained firsthand information about the relief and rescue efforts. He also visited Mundakayam, one of Wayanad’s most severely affected areas.
More than a hundred ambulances accompanied by physicians and other medical personnel were sent out to provide medical support and treatment.
In Wayanad, the Indian Army also constructed a 190-foot Bailey bridge, which has proven essential for allowing the passage of ambulances and heavy equipment. This bridge’s construction took only 71 hours to complete, greatly expanding the scope of the rescue efforts by enabling the mobilisation of heavy machinery and trucks to save almost 200 stranded individuals.
The NDRF rescue crews have recovered 112 bodies, evacuated 520 people, and saved 30 people in total thus far.
The construction of this bridge was completed in just 71 hours, thus significantly enhancing the scope of the rescue operations by allowing heavy vehicles and machinery to be mobilised to rescue around 200 stranded people.
To date, the NDRF rescue teams have rescued 30 people, evacuated 520 people, and retrieved 112 bodies.
Now, more than a week after the catastrophic landslides, disaster management teams and Armed Forces personnel are working on the ground to help the people who have been affected.
Mundakki, Chooralmala, and Vellarimala, the worst-hit regions of Wayanad, are now limping back to normalcy. However, more than 100 people are still reported to be missing.
After the mayhem, the Armed Forces have done commendable work in evacuating stranded people and establishing relief centres. Thousands of displaced people from these villages have taken safe refuge in these shelters.
An inter-ministerial central team constituted by the central government visits the affected areas to review and monitor the relief and rehabilitation work.
In terms of monetary assistance, the Centre has also maintained a steady flow of funds into the state’s coffers to meet any exigency.
According to official reports, on July 31, the Centre released the yearly instalment of Rs 145.60 crore for Kerala’s State Disaster Response Fund.
The Modi government has released around Rs 1200 crore in the past five years, including Rs 445 crore for the State Disaster Mitigation Fund.
–IANS
