Eight families to receive six lakh each after Kalladi landslide; search operation ends with recovery of final body

MEPPADI: The families of the eight workers who died in the Kalladi landslide at the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi tunnel construction site in Wayanad will receive rupees six lakh each as emergency compensation from the project's contracting company, after the six-day search operation concluded on Sunday.

State Minister T. Siddique said the Kerala government has sanctioned Rs 2 lakh for those injured in the accident, while the contractor will provide an additional Rs 2.5 lakh. The company will also extend further financial assistance to the three workers currently undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit.

The search operation ended after rescuers recovered the body of the eighth and final missing worker, Vikram Singh Rana (48), a native of Himachal Pradesh and construction manager of the tunnel project.
Rana's body was found around 10.50 a.m. on the right bank of the Meenakshi River near Meenakshi Bridge during a joint operation by the Fire and Rescue Services and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
He had been associated with the project's contractor, Dilip Buildcon, for the past six years.
The body was shifted to Vythiri Taluk Hospital for inquest and post-mortem procedures. It will later be embalmed at Kozhikode Medical College before being transported to his hometown. Rana's brother-in-law, Ankush, and his brothers, Kulwant and Pramod, have arrived in Wayanad.

The other seven victims were identified as Anmol Rodrai of Jharkhand, Bikash Kumar and Imran Ansari of Bihar, Chandrabhan Pal of Madhya Pradesh, Rahul Sharma of Himachal Pradesh, Asaruddin Ansari of Uttar Pradesh, and Rakesh Guchait of West Bengal.

Following a review meeting at the Wayanad Collectorate, Siddique said the contracting company has been directed to remove all landslide debris, including soil that collapsed onto both sides of the road and earth dumped near the construction site, within three days.

An expert committee will inspect the site on Monday to assess the cause and impact of the landslide. Checkposts will also be set up on both banks of the Meenakshi River.

The minister said the Public Works Department has been asked to examine the structural stability of Meenakshi Bridge following concerns that the landslide may have weakened the structure. The inspection is intended to ensure the bridge remains safe for public use.