Union and state governments taking 'irresponsible stands' in rehabilitation of Wayanad landslide survivors: Congress

Alappuzha, Kerala: The Congress party on Saturday accused the union and the state governments of taking "irresponsible stands" in the rehabilitation of the landslide survivors in Wayanad and it urged not to play politics over this issue.

If the Centre is yet to get complete figures from the state with regard to the landslide tragedy, it could have given advance amount to help the state initiate rehabilitation procedures in the devastated hamlets of the mountain district, it said.

Equally criticising the Left government in the state, the grand old party further said that if Kerala has over 600 crore rupees in the SDRF, as per the figures released by the Centre, the state authorities could have launched the rehabilitation package without any delay.

Talking to reporters here, AICC general Secretary K C Venugopal said here that state government should have begun the rehabilitation programmes using the funds with them and take steps to get the money back from the Centre later after submitting the detailed figures.

He accused that the Centre's approach of "punishing" Wayanad was not "right" and the state government is not delivering its responsibilities.

"It is not a platform to play politics...I am sorry to say that both the Central and the state governments are taking irresponsible stands in this matter," Venugopal alleged.

Pointing out that the BJP-led union government granted over Rs 900 crore to neighbouring Tamil Nadu as assistance on Friday, he said they could have at least given an advance amount to Kerala also and give the rest of the amount later after the state submits a detailed estimate.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central team visited Wayanad and saw the situation there," he said.

Referring to the recent reported criticism by the High Court against the state government, the Congress leader further alleged that the state was not doing anything in an appropriate manner for the rehabilitation of landslide survivors.

Venugopal also alleged that despite repeated communications by the Karnataka and Telangana governments with regard to the construction of houses for the landslide-hit people as announced by them during the time of the tragedy, the Kerala government was reluctant to give them any details.

Both the ruling CPI (M)- led LDF and the opposition Congress-led UDF have been demanding the BJP-led union government to declare the landslide calamity as a national disaster and provide required assistance for the relief and rehabilitation of the survivors at the earliest.

The state recently witnessed an intense political row following the Centre's recent letter to the state government stating that under the existing guidelines of SDRF and NDRF, there is no provision to declare any calamity a 'national disaster".

The disaster, which struck on July 30, devastated large parts of three villages --Punchirimattam, Chooralmala, and Mundakkai--along with sections of Attamala in Wayanad. As per the government, the deadly disaster claimed 231 lives, while 47 people are still missing.