‘Never has Kerala witnessed such a tragedy....": Rahul Gandhi Vows to Raise Wayanad Landslide Issue in Delhi, Announces Congress Will Build 100 Houses

The former Wayanad MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that Kerala has not witnessed such a tragedy in a single area before and he will be raising the issue in Delhi. He announced that the Congress will construct over 100 houses in Wayanad. The Congress leader is currently visiting the relief camps in Wayanad which has been struck by three devastating landslides resulting in the death of over 300 people and leaving approximately 300 people missing under debris.


“I have been here since yesterday. As I said yesterday, this is a terrible tragedy. We went to the site yesterday. We went to the camps, we assessed the situation there. Today, we had a meeting with the administration and the panchayat. They briefed us on the number of casualties they expect, the number of houses that have been damaged and their strategy. We have said that we are here to help in any way possible. Congress family would like to commit to build 100 plus houses here. I think, Kerala has not seen this type of a tragedy in one area, and I am going to raise it in Delhi and also with the chief minister here that this is a different level of tragedy and should be treated differently," said the Congress leader.


The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha on Thursday had said that it was very painful to see the destruction in Wayanad caused by major landslides. He said that he was feeling the same emotions which he felt during the death of his father. Alongside him, the Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi who has been announced as the Lok Sabha candidate from Wayanad is also visiting various relief camps in Wayanad.


The rescue efforts in the landslide-affected Wayanad has entered its fourth day. Inspite of heavy rains and a very challenging terrain, 40 teams including personnel from the Army, NDRF, DSG, Coast Guard, Navy and MEG along with three locals and one forest department employee are conducting search operations in six zones of the landslide-hit areas namely: Attamala and Aaranmala, Mundakkai, Punchirimattam, Vellarimala village, GVHSS Vellarimala and the Riverbank. The eight police stations along the 40 km stretch of the river will collaborate with local swimming experts to search for bodies that may have been carried downstream or are trapped along the riverbanks.


“Nobody is left to be saved in the villages of Mundakkai, Chooralmala and Attamala. The rescue workers are now focused on locating and recovering any remaining bodies from the area. Moreover, the Coast Guard, Navy, and Forest Department will jointly conduct a search operation focusing on the riverbanks and areas where bodies may be trapped.”, said the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday. The State Revenue Minister K Rajan said that a drone-based radar from Delhi would arrive on Saturday to help locate bodies buried in the mud and also mentioned that six dogs are assisting in the search operation with four more arriving from Tamil Nadu.​