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PM Modi offers all possible aids for land slide hit Wayanad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the centre will provide all possible help in the relief and rehabilitation efforts in the landslide-hit areas of Wayanad district that claimed 236 lives, while over 130 are still missing.

Chairing a review meeting at the Wayanad collectorate to assess the gravity of the situation after he visited the landslide-hit villages today, Modi said supporting the victims of the catastrophe was the need of the hour and funds would not be a constraint.

Modi said everyone’s prayers were with the survivors of the landslides, which had ‘shattered’ the dreams of several families.

He said the central government will make all efforts to fulfil all State government requests. When he was informed that the landslides hit Wayanad, a Minister of State was sent to the state to assess the gravity of the situation. NDRF, Army and Air Force teams were also deployed for rescue and relief and rescue operations.

“I had discussed with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the morning when the incident took place and assured him all the possible assistance at the earliest,” Modi said.

The NDRF, SDRF, Army, Police, Doctors, everyone tried to rescue and provide relief to the victims at the earliest. All the agencies of the central government were mobilised immediately,” Modi said.

“I want to assure that the families of the deceased are not alone. We are all standing with them. The State and central governments will ensure that no work would be hampered due to the dearth of money,” the Prime Minister added.

Modi reached here in an IAF helicopter around 12.15 p.m. along with Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Suresh Gopi. They have done an aerial survey on the landslide-flattened villages in Meppadi grama panchayat such as Punchirimattom, Mundakkai and Chooral Mala. He spends around 50 minutes in the disaster zone.

The PM landed on a temporary helipad at the SKMJ Higher Secondary School around 1 p.m. and left for Chooral Mala on road. After travelling nearly 26 km, he reached ground zero on foot and inspected the collapsed Vellarmala school from a safe distance. The NDRF used a map to explain its search and rescue operations to Modi, who also interacted with the Army and the NDRF after visiting the Bailey Bridge constructed by the Indian Army to provide a vital land link for emergency responders to reach the landslide-struck Mundakkai across the Iruvanipuzha River. The Prime Minister reached the relief camp at the St Joseph’s School in Meppadi around 2:40 p.m. and interacted with 12 victims, including two orphaned high school students, Muhammad Hani and Lavanya.

He then reached Dr Moopan’s Wayanad Medical College at Rippon around 3.40 p.m. and spent nearly 20 minutes with six persons, who were injured seriously in the landslides and were undergoing treatment.