New Delhi: Congress national general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, seeking 'every possible assistance and support' to help the Wayanad landslide tragedy victims rebuild their lives.
In her two-page letter, Priyanka Gandhi told PM Modi that the people of Wayanad are brave and resilient but still they desperately need support as it is impossible for them to overcome the catastrophic consequences of the landslide. Stressing the need for a decisive financial and infrastructural support from both the state and central governments, she said that currently, the rehabilitation process is progressing at a painful pace.
The Congress MP listed out the hardships being faced by the landslide victims as they are trying to rebuild their lives after the devastating impact of the landslides last year. Describing what struck the Wayanad people as a 'terrible misfortune', she appealed to PM Modi to convert the government's relief package into grant.
Pointing out that 298 people were found dead in the terrible landslide on July 30 last year, Priyanka Gandhi said, "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."
The Congress general secretary further said that in the aftermath of the Wayanad disaster, about 231 bodies were recovered along with 223 body parts and 32 persons were declared dead after they were reported missing. She also pointed out that 17 families with members totalling 58 persons were completely wiped out. Also, 1,685 buildings were damaged, which included houses, schools, village offices, dispensaries, anganwadis, shops, religious centres and government buildings, she said.
The Congress leader said that the landslide totally wrecked the government vocational Higher Secondary School at Vellarmala and the government lower primary school at Mundakkai, which are yet to be rehabilitated permanently. About 658 students were enrolled at these institutions in the pre-landslide days, she said.
Priyanka Gandhi told PM Modi that there are many small scale industry owners who are now struggling to recover from the losses in ward numbers 10, 11 and 12 of Meppadi gram panchayats. Also, about 110 acres of agricultural land was destroyed, she said.
Referring to the losses incurred by farmers, the Congress MP said that 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 landslide disaster," she said.
Priyanka Gandhi said that the relief package of 529.50 crore announced by the Centre for the victims of the Wayanad devastation inadequate. "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," she said.
The Wayanad MP said that 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.
Stating that the conditional relief package is extremely disappointing, Priyanka Gandhi said that it was her earnest request to PM Modi to convert the relief package into a grant and extend the time period for its implementation so as to give a reassurance to the victims.
