Declare Wayanad landslide as calamity of severe nature: Tharoor to HM Shah

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking the declaration of the Wayanad Landslide as a "calamity of severe nature" under Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) guidelines in order to facilitate urgent assistance from MPs to the affected areas.

Two massive landslides struck Mundakkai and Churalmala in Wayanad in the early hours of July 30, causing extensive destruction. Rescue operations are being intensified, political leaders are engaged in discussions, and financial aid is being mobilised for the region.

In a post of X, Tharoor attached a letter and wrote, "My letter to Amit Shah ji yesterday (Wednesday), seeking the declaration of the Wayanad Landslide as a "calamity of severe nature" under the MPLADS guidelines, in order to facilitate urgent assistance from MPs to the affected areas. @Rao_InderjitS."

"On the 30th of July, in the dead of night, a series of devastating landslides struck the Wayanad district of Kerala, claiming over a hundred lives and leaving many more severely injured in hospitals, while countless others remain missing, trapped beneath the debris. This disaster of unimaginable proportions has left behind a harrowing tale of death and destruction.

The rescue operations involving the armed forces, the Coast Guard, the National Disaster Response Force, and other agencies continue their pitched battle against the vagaries of nature. The landslides have wreaked havoc upon countless lives, and as such, it is of grave importance to extend all possible support to the people of Wayanad. Such is the scale of the disaster that it necessitates coordinated and generous response from all sections of society," Tharoor wrote in a letter on Wednesday.

He further urged the Home Minister to declare the incident a "calamity of severe nature."

"In light of this catastrophe, I am writing to you to declare this event a "calamity of severe nature" in terms of Paragraph 8.1 of the MPLADS Guidelines, which would allow Members of Parliament to recommend works up to Rs 1 crore from there MPLADS funds, for the affected districts and areas. The willing Members of Parliament would then be able to generously contribute funds for relief and rehabilitation work in the areas afflicted by this tragedy. This will surely be invaluable in supporting the painstaking efforts for rescue, relief, and rehabilitation. I hope you will give this request your kind and sympathetic consideration," he stated.

The first landslide occurred in Mundakkai, a town, and the second in Chooralmala. The massive landslides wreaked havoc in the region, damaging houses and roads, uprooting trees, and swelling water bodies, which hindered rescue operations. Relief and rescue efforts are currently underway.

167 people have been declared dead in the aftermath of the landslides as per the Kerala Revenue Department.

According to sources from the Department of Information and Public Relations (PRD) Control Room in Wayanad, 96 victims have been identified, including 77 men, 67 women, and 22 children. Post-mortem examinations have been conducted on 166 bodies and 49 body parts. A total of 75 bodies have been handed over to relatives.

Amid the rising death toll, the Indian Army has intensified its efforts to rescue people stranded after the landslides. The Indian Army is building a 190-ft-long Bailey bridge is being built to connect the severely affected areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala and speed up rescue operations.