Union Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday asserted in Parliament that the Kerala government was given early warnings about potential landslides on July 23, a week before the catastrophic events in Wayanad district. The tragic landslides resulted in over 150 deaths and left 200 injured, with rescue operations ongoing for 180 missing individuals.
During his speech in the Rajya Sabha, the Home Minister stated that the Centre had forewarned the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government about the impending natural disaster. Shah emphasized that nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were dispatched to Kerala in anticipation of heavy rainfall.
“Nine NDRF teams were sent to Kerala in advance. The Kerala government did not evacuate people in time,” Shah remarked. He highlighted that India is among the few countries capable of providing natural disaster warnings at least seven days in advance.
Amit Shah argued that the fatalities and injuries from the landslides could have been minimized if the Kerala government had heeded the warnings and taken timely action following the arrival of the NDRF teams.
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“The Narendra Modi government is standing like a rock with the Kerala government and the people to deal with the Wayanad tragedy,” Amit Shah reassured.
Union Minister George Kurian, who visited Wayanad on Tuesday night, corroborated that Prime Minister Modi is closely monitoring the situation. “The situation is being monitored by the central government at the highest level. The Honourable Prime Minister is monitoring the situation and has deputed me to visit the affected areas. Both control rooms of the Ministry of Home Affairs are monitoring the situation 24×7 and providing all possible assistance to the state,” Kurian said.
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Rescue operations are being conducted by the Army and the Air Force, with two columns of army personnel and two IAF helicopters deployed. Additionally, NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and a dog squad are actively involved in the rescue efforts.
