The Chaliyar River, a lifeline for people in three Kerala districts, has become a haunting symbol of destruction after 30 July.
Published Aug 04, 2024 | 5:02 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 04, 2024 | 5:02 PM
LoP VD Satheeshan. (X)
As rescue operations in Kerala’s Wayanad to rescue people affected by the devastating landslides entered the fifth day, it is becoming more and more clear that it is the dead bodies that officials are going to be recovering. As of Sunday, 4 August at 10 am, 219 bodies have been recovered including 146 from Wayanad and 73 from Nilambur.
The Chaliyar River, a lifeline for people in three Kerala districts, has become a haunting symbol of destruction after 30 July. In this backdrop, extending its full cooperation to the state government to rebuild landslide-ravaged Wayanad, the opposition Congress-led UDF in Kerala on has announced that all its MLAs will contribute one month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF).
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, on Sunday, 4 August said the UDF will take part in all the rehabilitation efforts and work towards restoring normalcy in the lives of the survivors. Apart from the 100 houses the Congress offered to build, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a major party ally in the UDF, has also announced rehabilitation packages.
#WayanadLandslide: UDF MLAs have decided to contribute a month’s salary to the CMDRF for rebuilding #Wayanad.
Apart from the promises made by @RahulGandhi, @INCKerala leaders, IUML has also promised to contribute generously to rehabilitation efforts, said LOP V.D Satheesan pic.twitter.com/4ktaDLglze
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) August 4, 2024
Earlier, the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) had announced that its members in the assembly and Parliament will contribute their one month’s salary to the CMDRF. The decision of the Opposition UDF assumes significance as the issue of making donations to the CMDRF had created a ripple within the Congress on Saturday, 3 August.
Senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala had yesterday announced that he would donate to it one month’s salary, which he draws as an MLA and this statement drew a sharp reaction from his party colleague and KPCC chief K Sudhakaran, who expressed displeasure saying there is no need to give money to funds managed by the CPI(M)-led Left government.
Sudhakaran’s statement came amidst online smear campaigns discouraging people from sending funds to the CMDRF. Talking to the media on Sunday, Satheesan said special attention should be given to those who have lost their livelihood and those who have become orphans.
“It should also be considered whether those who are being shifted back to their houses can survive or not. Normalcy should be restored in everyone’s life,” Satheesan added. The Congress leader urged the government to consider ways to prevent such disasters in the future.
“In 2019, we had mentioned in the assembly to map the landslide-prone regions and coordinate with all the weather agencies and to set up rain gauges. We need to rope in experts from Cochin University,” Satheesan said. Along with the rehabilitation efforts, all technological assistance available in the world should be used to set up a warning mechanism, he said.
There should also be a proper plan to evacuate people within a short period after a warning is issued, he added.
“The opposition has a definite plan. We had sought for a policy change to mitigate the effects of climate change. And that’s why we opposed K-Rail and now the coastal highway. We are ready to submit our plans before the government,” Satheesan said.
He said that local residents had complained on 29 July that the colour of the river had changed due to something that had happened upstream. “Based on this, the panchayat had shifted many people from there. We need to bring together such traditional knowledge along with modern technology,” Satheesan added.
(Edited by Neena with PTI inputs)
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