Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the landslide-affected areas in Wayanad on August 10. The announcement was made during a press conference held in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
Massive landslides struck Chooralmala and Mundakkai in Wayanad on July 30, causing widespread destruction and leaving many people dead and missing. In response, the Kerala government has urged the central government to declare the disaster as a national calamity and provide substantial assistance for recovery efforts.
To address the situation, the central government has formed a nine-member committee to assess the damage and submit a report. The chairman of the committee visited the affected areas recently, and Chief Minister Vijayan expressed hope that the central government would provide the necessary support for rehabilitation.
“We expect the Prime Minister to understand the gravity of the situation when he visits Wayanad and adopt a favourable stance towards our requests for assistance,” said Vijayan.
The Chief Minister also provided an update on the ongoing search and rescue operations in the region. As of now, post-mortem examinations have been conducted on 420 bodies. Officially, 225 deaths have been confirmed, and the remains of 195 individuals have been discovered in various locations. DNA samples have been sent for testing to help identify the victims.
“The search operations are still ongoing, and we are committed to finding and identifying all the victims. So far, 178 bodies have been handed over to their relatives, and 233 burials have taken place,” Vijayan stated.
Vijayan also addressed issues related to donations received at relief camps. He mentioned that around seven tons of clothing had arrived at the collection center in Wayanad, but unfortunately, most of it consisted of used clothes, which could not be utilized.
“There is no need to send more materials to the camps. The seven tons of clothing we received had to be processed because they were entirely used clothes, which has become a burden,” he said.
ALSO READ: “Wayanad Landslides: Death Toll Crosses 400, 180 Still Missing”
Despite these challenges, the Chief Minister expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support received for the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). He specifically acknowledged the contributions from the South Indian film industry and praised the unity shown by the people of Kerala in helping those affected in Wayanad.
Meanwhile, a special team comprising army personnel, SOG officials, and forest officials has been conducting search operations in Sunrise Valley, Soojippara, located inside the forest.
The Indian Army, after a ten-day-long rescue mission, is set to leave Wayanad, with the responsibility for ongoing search operations being handed over to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire Force, and Kerala Police.
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