Union Home Minister Amit Shah
“Everyone is questioning the government, but I would like to ask what did the Kerala government do. It was a vulnerable situation, but why the people were not shifted to safer places? They were only shifted after the disaster,” said HM Shah
Wayanad: Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that the Centre had alerted the Kerala government on July 23 and had given a warning of a possible danger lurking in and around Wayanad.
The Home Minister stated that the Centre should not be blamed as information was given well in advance and even a team of the NDRF was sent to the state.
“Everyone is questioning the government, but I would like to ask what did the Kerala government do. It was a vulnerable situation, but why the people were not shifted to safer places? They were only shifted after the disaster,” said HM Shah.
Kerala BJP president K. Surendran slammed the Vijayan government and said that it was crystal clear that the state government completely ignored the early warnings issued by the Centre.
“The state government’s inaction led to the increase in the number of casualties. Unpardonable,” Surendran posted on X soon after the Home Minister’s address in the Rajya Sabha.
However, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan refuted the claim but sought to play down the issue, saying it was no time for a blame game.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the disaster has reached 205 and around 200 continue to be missing, even as search efforts continue amid the heavy rains in the affected areas on Wednesday evening.
Speaking to the media here, Vijayan stressed that the need of the hour is not to engage in a blame game, while terming parts of what the Union Home Minister said as true and parts as untrue.
“I do not wish to engage in a blame game now as the people in Wayanad are going through untold misery on account of the massive landslide, but the fact of the matter is that there were predictions that came out and they never mentioned a red alert in the affected area. In fact, the red alert came on Tuesday at 6 a.m., when the tragedy occurred several hours before,” he said.
“The IMD had predicted rains to the tune of 115 mm to 204 mm rains at the affected areas, but actually in the first 24 hours, there was 200 mm and in the next 24 hours, 372 mm rains came down making it a staggering 572 mm in 48 hours, much more than predicted. So with these being the facts, I wish to state, that this is not the time for wrangling,” Vijayan added.
The Chief Minister also said that there was no prediction of landslides from the Geological Survey of India and when these came, the tragedy had already taken place.
“Then there was an alert from the Central Water Commission and it said that from July 23 to 29, not for one single day … of the two rivers which got swollen, there was no mention at all. What was said in the Parliament is not true,” he said, adding that there was a mention that the NDRF was sent early, “but the fact is we asked for it”.
“The need of the hour is climate change disasters have to be dealt with seriously and let us not engage in a blame game… people are in tragedy, let us soothe them,” he said.
Vijayan said about 1,200 rescue officials from various agencies are presently at work in the four worst-affected landslide areas of Wayanad district — Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil, and Pothukalu.
“These areas, for all practical purposes, have been completely destroyed. The rescue teams have so far rescued 1,592 people and now there are 8,017 people in 82 relief camps. 201 people were treated in hospitals and now there are 90 under treatment. The rescue efforts are continuing and tribal families are being moved… for those not willing to move, food will be given. Medical facilities are being extended in a big way, with medical professionals from the private and cooperative sectors having joined the state government health officials,” he said.
Vijayan said in most of the affected areas, the electric power lines have been restored and the state electricity board has suffered a loss of Rs 3 crore.
Surendran commented, “The recent landslide tragedy in Wayanad, claiming over 150 lives, could have been prevented. Despite repeated warnings from the Central Government on July 23, 24, 25, and even 26 about severe weather and potential landslides, the Kerala Government led by Pinarayi Vijayan ignored these alerts. Instead of addressing their failures, the Left and Congress are now indulging in political drama in Parliament. Union Home Minister @AmitShahJi has rightly highlighted how effective early warning systems in Odisha and Gujarat have saved lives.”
He further said in the post, “The State Government and their INDI alliance partner Congress must be held accountable for this disaster. Disaster Prevention is crucial, and political posturing only diverts from real solutions. We stand with the people of Kerala and will do our best to address the situation.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of defence personnel and several other agencies were engaged in rescue and relief operations in the four worst affected landslide areas of Kerala’s Wayanad district — Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu. The death toll is mounting as more bodies trapped under building debris are being recovered.
Incidentally, in 2018 when Kerala witnessed the worst-ever floods in a century, there was a war of words between the Kerala government and the Centre with the former blaming the latter for not giving any advance information.