Centre agrees to free up Rs 120 crore for Wayanad rehabilitation: Kerala High Court

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday said the Centre has agreed to the freeing up of Rs 120 crore for immediate use by the Kerala state government in connection with the rehabilitation proceedings ongoing at Wayanad, where a massive landslide occurred on July 30 last year.

While hearing a case taken on its own for prevention and management of natural disasters in the state in the wake of the landslides that devastated three villages in Wayanad district and claimed over 200 lives, a Division Bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Easwaran S recorded the Central government's consent to free up Rs 120 crore of arrears owed by the state to the Centre in airlift charges over the years.

"The said amount can accordingly be used in relaxation of the SDRF/NDRF norms of the Central Government," an order of High Court stated.

Additional Solicitor General of India A R L Sundaresan placed before the High Court a letter, dated January 2, of the Assistant Director (DM), Ministry of Home Affairs, Disaster Management Division, regarding this.

The development comes after the Kerala High Court on December 18 asked the Centre whether it can exclude around Rs 120 crore from the Rs 132 crore demanded as airlift charges for rescue operations carried out by the IAF in the state since 2006.

The court also asked the Centre to consider giving permission to temporarily free up the Rs 120 crore and relaxing the NDRF/SDRF norms so that the amount can be utilised for the rehabilitation purpose.

The Commissioner of Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) also on Friday filed a statement of the Ministry of State for Home Affairs, which indicates that keeping in view the intensity and magnitude of the Meppadi Landslide Disaster in Wayanad District, the same has been considered by the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) as a disaster of "severe nature" for all practical purposes.

The court also noted the statement filed by the Commissioner, SDMA, that by virtue of this notification, the state government has now an opportunity to tap into multiple funding sources for recovery and rehabilitation, such as the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Funds, the fund that provides for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), as also the recovery and reconstruction window assistance from the NationalDisaster Response Fund (NDRF).

The statement also goes on to enumerate various measures that have been taken by the state government towards rehabilitation of the affected families in Wayanad, the order said.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on January 16.

The landslides that struck Kerala on July 30, devastated large parts of three villages -- Punchirimattam, Chooralmala, and Mundakkai -- along with sections of Attamala in Wayanad.

According to the state government, the disaster claimed 231 lives.