Govt declares Wayanad landslide disaster of ‘severe nature’
text_fields
Thiruvananthapuram: Exactly five months after the Wayanad landslide killed 254 people and left 128 missing, the Union government on Monday deemed the incident a disaster of "severe nature" for all practical purposes.
Tinku Biswal, the Kerala government's senior secretary of revenue and disaster management, was informed of the decision by Rajesh Gupta, a joint secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs. On the other hand, no specific governmental fund is mentioned.
The state would be better able to find funding for the repair work thanks to the classification, including MPs' local area development money. Because of the magnitude of the impact, the state has been pressuring the Centre to declare the landslide a disaster of "severe nature."
Using its authority under the national disaster management authority, the state has asked the Centre to provide additional financial relief and waive the loans of those affected by the tragedy, TNIE reported.
The state administration asked for Rs 2,262 crore for the restoration package, estimating that the calamity had cost Rs 1,202 crore.
In a letter released on Monday, the Union Home Ministry noted that in the event of a "severe nature" disaster, the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), which is currently available to the state, can be used to provide financial support for registered natural disasters, including landslides.
However, revenue department officials stated that the provisions of SDRF/NDRF funds are insufficient for the large-scale rehabilitation required for Wayanad.
Previously, the Ministry of Home Affairs told MP John Brittas in Rajya Sabha that the state's request for Rs 214.68 crore as a temporary emergency fund could not be provided due to technicalities in supplementing the SDRF.