Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accused the Centre of running away from its responsibilities by delaying the assistance for the Wayanad landslide survivors and sparking a controversy over it.
Vijayan said: “The state has not received even a single rupee in special assistance over the July 30 disaster, in which at least 254 people were killed and 47 others went missing, even three months after his administration submitted detailed memorandums on the cost of proposed relief and rehabilitation of the survivors.”
The CM’s remarks at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram come days after the Union home minister Amit Shah, in a reply to the petition submitted by the MPs from Kerala, alleged that the state government made ”inordinate delays” in the submission of the assessment report despite pleas by Prime Minister.
“The allegation of the Union home minister is utterly false. Kerala strongly protests against it,” Vijayan said.
“PM Modi visited the landslide-affected sites on August 10. The state had clearly presented its demands before the PM and the team of central officials in the backdrop of the disaster. On August 17, the state submitted a memo before the Centre underlining the losses as well as the claim that can be made by the state as per NDRF norms. The preliminary demand made was for ₹1,202 crore including expected spending for relief and rehabilitation,” he said.
“Now, three months have passed by. It’s been 100 days since the PM’s visit. Other states have got financial assistance in this period. But Kerala has not received even a single rupee in special assistance,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“Now, three months have passed by. It’s been 100 days since the PM’s visit. Other states have got financial assistance in this period. But Kerala has not received even a single rupee in special assistance,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}The CM underlined that the state has also submitted a detailed post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) report on November 13 in which it is estimated to cost ₹2,221 crore for Meppadi landslide and ₹98.1 crore for Vilangad landslide. The landslide in Vilangad in Kozhikode was reported on July 30 too, but no human fatalities were there.
In the early hours of July 30, multiple landslides in Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad flattened at least three densely-populated human settlements, killing over 250 people and securing a place in the state’s history as its worst natural disaster.