Wayanad MP Priyanka writes to PM Modi, seeks conversion of relief package into grant

New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, apprising him about the hardships being faced by the people of Wayanad while trying to rebuild their lives after the devastating landslides last year and urging him to convert the government's relief package into a grant.

In a letter to Modi, the Congress general secretary said she believes that the people of Wayanad deserve every possible assistance and support to pull themselves out of the terrible misfortune that has befallen them.

"As the MP for Wayanad Lok Sabha, I felt it my duty to apprise you of the plight of the people of Chooralmala and Mundakkai in my constituency. It is indeed heartbreaking that even six months after a horrific tragedy destroyed their lives and livelihoods, they are facing unimaginable hardships while trying to rebuild their lives," Priyanka Gandhi said.

Noting that a devastating landslide took place on July 30, 2024, in and around these two habitations of Wayanad district, she said in the aftermath of this disaster, 298 people were found dead, 231 bodies were recovered along with 223 body parts and 32 persons were reported missing and declared dead.

She said 17 families with members totalling 58 persons were completely wiped out and 1,685 buildings damaged.

"These were houses, schools, village offices, dispensaries, anganwadis, shops, religious centres and government buildings," she said.

The Congerss leader said educational institutions, namely, the government vocational Higher Secondary School Vellarmala and the government lower primary school Mundakkai were completely wrecked by the landslide.

"Permanent rehabilitation of these two institutions at which 658 students were previously enrolled is still awaited," she said.

The Congress leader pointed out that 110 acre of agricultural land was destroyed by the landslide.

"Tea, coffee and cardamom were the main crops of this area. Many people who earned their livelihood from these crops and from tourism activities in this region found themselves without any means to earn a living. Jeep and autorickshaw drivers, shop owners, home-stay owners and tourist guides were some of those deprived of a livelihood in the aftermath of the disaster," she said.

In ward numbers 10, 11 and 12 of Meppadi gram panchayats there are many small scale industry owners who are now struggling to make ends meet, she said in her letter.

"Given the above circumstances, it is clear that Wayanad district desperately needs support. Its people are resilient and brave, yet it is impossible for them to overcome this catastrophe without decisive financial and infrastructural support from both, the state and central governments. Unfortunately, the rehabilitation process is progressing at a painful pace," she said.

This has only increased their agony and compounded the psychological turmoil they are experiencing as their future remains uncertain, she added.

After continuous urging from the MPs of Kerala, the central government has recently announced a relief package of 529.50 crore for the victims of the devastation, she noted.

"Apart from the fact of its inadequacy, it is unprecedented that the package comes with two conditions: first that the funds shall be disbursed, not as a grant as is the norm, but as a loan, second, that they should be spent in their entirety by the 31st of March 2025. These conditions are not only immensely unfair, they display a shocking lack of sensitivity towards the people of Chooralmala and Mundakkai who have suffered such shattering losses," Priyanka Gandhi said.

Pointing out that Prime Minister Modi had visited the affected areas in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy, she said his visit raised expectations of considerable financial assistance from the central government.

"Unfortunately, those expectations have not been fulfilled. Moreover, the central government's refusal to declare the disaster as a national disaster came as a shock to the victims. Many months later, after sustained pressure from the MPs from Kerala, the declaration of the disaster as a 'Disaster of Severe Nature' appeared to be a step in the right direction," she said.

However, the announcement of this inadequate and conditional relief package is extremely disappointing, Priyanka Gandhi said.

"I believe that the people of Wayanad deserve every possible assistance and support to pull themselves out of the terrible misfortune that has befallen them. I urge you to consider their plight with compassion.

"It is my earnest request to you to convert the relief package into a grant and extend the time period for its implementation. This will help them to begin rebuilding their lives. It will also reassure them that the future holds some measure of promise and hope," the Congress leader said.