MoS Suresh Gopi visits Wayanad to examine legal aspects of declaring the landslide as national disaster

KALPATTA: Minister of State Suresh Gopi has said that the legal aspects of declaring the landslide in Wayanad as a national disaster will be examined. He had come to visit the landslide affected areas this morning. Suresh Gopi said that the center is evaluating all the matters and now the importance should be given to the mental health and rehabilitation of the affected people.

Suresh Gopi visited the disaster site and held discussions with the soldiers leading the rescue operation and they briefed him about the ongoing rescue operations. After visiting the disaster affected areas, a review meeting was held in the presence of the Collector. He also held discussions with Minister Mohammad Riyaz.

Yesterday, in response to a question by MP K Sudhakaran, the Union Home Ministry had clarified that there is no provision to declare all natural calamities as a national calamity. The central government also explained that the method is to consider each disaster according to its nature. Various MPs from Kerala have demanded that the landslide disaster be declared a national disaster. The state government had also requested this. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan also raised the same demand in the governors' meeting held in Delhi yesterday.

The floods in Kerala in 2018 and 2019 were also not declared as a national disaster. The massive flood that engulfed Chennai was not declared a national disaster. If declared as a national calamity, the disaster victims will get relief in loan repayment. They will also get more financial support.