'No point in blaming each other, everyone knows the facts'; Chief Minister responds to Amit Shah's criticism

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has responded to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's criticism that Kerala did not take necessary action to evacuate people from landslide-prone areas in Wayanad despite receiving a warning from the Centre.

Earlier today, Amit Shah had said in the Rajya Sabha that Kerala did not act swiftly to shift the people to safety despite receiving a warning from the Centre about the possibility of landslides a week before the Wayanad landslides. Responding to this, the Chief Minister said that this was not the time for the state and the Centre to blame each other.

"The state always gives due consideration to weather warnings. Everyone knows the fact. An orange alert was in place in the affected area till the wee hours of Tuesday. A red issue was announced in the area only by 6 in the morning. Only part of the statement made by the Centre is correct. The Geological Survey of India and the Water Commission did not give any proper warning. NDRF was sent to Kerala as per the state's demand," the CM said.

"Rescue operations are going on in full swing in Wayanad. The scenes from Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions are the most agonizing ones that our state has ever seen. These two places were completely wiped away in the landslide. 144 bodies (79 men and 64 women) have been recovered so far. As per the latest figures, 191 people are missing. The cabinet meeting held today expressed condolences over the tragedy," he said.

"Efforts to shift the maximum number of people from affected areas to safety are progressing well. As a part of that, tribal families are being evacuated. Sufficient food is being delivered to those who are not ready to move out of their houses. Necessary treatment and care is being provided to the survivors of the disaster," the CM said.

"As many as 1592 people have been rescued in the rescue operations that have been going on for two days. So many people were rescued in such a short period as a result of the coordinated and comprehensive efforts of the rescue workers," he said.

"Currently, there are 82 relief camps in Wayanad district, accommodating 2,017 individuals. In Meppadi, eight camps are housing 1,486 people from 421 families. Priority is being given to rescue operations in Mundakkai, and efforts are progressing well in Attamala and Chooralmala as well," the CM added.