Wayanad landslide: Kerala govt to set-up townships, announces rehabilitation project
Live MintThe Kerala government on Wednesday approved a comprehensive rehabilitation project for survivors of devastating landslides in Wayanad district that killed over 200 people last July. Addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the two townships, proposed in two selected plantation estates in Kalpetta and Kottappady, would have all basic amenities, including houses, schools, health centres, anganwadis, markets, parking areas, playgrounds, drinking water, sanitation facilities, and so on. Referring to the recent declaration of the Wayanad landslide as a disaster of a severe nature by the Centre, Vijayan said though an official announcement had been received in this regard, there was no indication in the communication about the financial assistance to the state, loan waiver for disaster victims or relaxation of norms for the disbursement of funds from the State Disaster Response Fund. Five months after devastating landslides destroyed three villages in Wayanad, the Union Government recently declared it a disaster of "severe nature," recognising its intensity and impact for all practical purposes, an official source said on Monday. Vijayan said if the announcement was made within two months after the tragedy, the state would have received additional social assistance from United Nations institutions and NGOs.