New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday expressed concern over the landslides that hit his former constituency Wayanad in Kerala, and urged the government to undertake urgent mapping of landslide-prone areas and formulate an action plan to address such frequent calamities.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Gandhi said, “Early this morning, Wayanad was hit by several devastating landslides. More than 70 people have been killed. Mundakai village has been cut off and the devastating loss of lives and extensive damage is yet to be assessed, due to the scale of the tragedy.”
The Congress MP from Raebareli said he had spoken to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan on the tragic incident.
It may be mentioned that two massive landslides hit Mundakai and Chooralmala in Vellarimala village under Meppadi panchayat in Kerala’s Wayanad district early Tuesday, causing the death and destruction.
According to official figures, 63 persons have died, and 70 others sustained injury.
The LoP said, “I request the Union government to extend all possible support for rescue and medical care. (There should be) Immediate release of the compensation to deceased people and if that compensation can be increased as well, restore vital transport communication lines, set up relief centres at the earliest and prepare a roadmap for the rehabilitation of the affected families.”
The former Wayanad MP said, the country has witnessed an alarming rise in the landslides in the last few years. “There is an urgent need for mapping of landslide prone areas and to take up mitigating measures and an action plan to address the growing frequency of natural calamities in the ecologically fragile region”.
After Gandhi spoke, the House witnessed a turmoil resulting in Speaker Om Birla asking the Opposition benches to refrain from doing politics over such tragedies.
“This is a tragic and sad incident and we are discussing so that such things do not happen but here also you want to do politics,” Birla said.
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju told the House that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent “the MoS, the Minister who comes from Kerala and he is already there coordinating with the agencies.” Modi also spoke to the Kerala Chief Minister, Rescue and relief operation was on, Rijiju said.
Meanwhile, Congress general secretary and MP from Alappuzha in Kerala K C Venugopal informed that Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Wayanad at the earliest. UNI
