Wayanad landslide: Vijayan slams govt, alleges distortion of facts

Kerala LoP Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the state government's response to the Wayanad landslide, alleging lack of ministerial coordination and distortion of facts on environmental clearances for the proposed tunnel road project near the disaster site.

Vijayan Slams Govt Response, Alleges 'Distortion of Facts'

Keralam Leader of Opposition (LoP) Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday criticised the state government's response to the Wayanad landslide, alleging a lack of coordination among ministers and the 'distortion of facts' regarding environmental clearances for the tunnel road project.

Speaking after visiting the disaster site, hospitals, and relief camps, Vijayan stated that while he supports the government in this hour of crisis, the information being shared by the administration is inconsistent. "I had visited the incident spot, hospital and camp. I have already said that our support is there to the government in this situation. It is a good thing that the Chief Minister has announced an investigation," Vijayan said. However, he raised strong objections to the Chief Minister's statements regarding the environmental sensitivity of the region and the proposed tunnel road. "Facts should not be distorted regarding the issue of environmental clearance being obtained for the tunnel road. What the Chief Minister said in the press conference is incorrect regarding environmental issues in the area," he added.

'Ministers Blaming Each Other'

Vijayan further alleged that the state cabinet appears to be divided, with ministers working at cross-purposes to avoid accountability for the tragedy. "Ministers are speaking without any coordination among themselves. They are blaming each other to evade responsibility," the former Chief Minister remarked.

Search and Rescue Operations

The statements come amid an ongoing rescue and search operation in Wayanad, where multiple bodies have been retrieved following the landslide on July 7, bringing the total death toll to five. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines at the site, Keralam Minister T Siddique stated that the search is being carried out on a war footing. He confirmed the retrieval of a second body from a different zone. "The search operation is in full swing. We have retrieved the second body from zone 3. The body has been shifted to the hospital for postmortem. Later, it will be shifted to Kozhikode for embalming. After which, it will be handed over to the family. Out of the five missing persons, two bodies have been recovered till now," Siddique said.

Details of the Landslide

The landslide struck at around 11:15 am on Tuesday within a 200-metre radius of the tunnel construction site at Kalladi in Meppadi Grama Panchayat, burying large portions of the worksite under debris estimated to be 7 to 10 feet deep. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)