A year on, Wayanad landslide tragedy lingers on even as rehabilitation work continues

Wayanad, July 29 A year after a massive landslide washed away four villages in Wayanad that left 298 dead and over 40 still missing, the tragedy continues to haunt the survivors, even as they grieve for the departed and try to piece their upended lives together.

On Tuesday, the anniversary of the tragedy was commemorated as a protest day by the youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League, which led a march through the affected areas, highlighting the callous attitude of the Kerala government.

Likewise at 4 P.M. on Tuesday, the Youth Congress commenced a 24 hour protest strike before the Wayanad Collectorate over the slow progress of the rehabilitation programme.

On Wednesday, an all religion prayer meeting will be held in the Meppadi village council.

Apart from this, nothing has changed on the ground as the survivors of the natural disaster continue to wait for the rehabilitation programme announced by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan government, while they live in homes rented by the state government.

There are around 402 families waiting for their homes which the state government is building in two townships, while around 50 families are waiting with bated breath to see if they will find themselves in the second list of beneficiaries.

According to the existing plans the two townships are expected to be finished in December, but at the present pace at which the work is going on, it might not happen.

For the township, the Left government got the clearance from the High Court for taking over of two estates -- Harrison Malayalam Estate of 65.41 acres in Nedumbala, Meppadi grama panchayat and Elston Estate of 78.73 acres in Kalpetta.

A whopping 145 homes were fully destroyed; 170 houses were partially destroyed, while 240 homes have been declared uninhabitable and 183 homes were washed away.

Meanwhile the blame game continues with the state and the Centre blaming one another. The High Court has asked the Centre and state to give their view in two weeks' time on writing off of bank loans taken by the hapless survivors.

On the anniversary of the tragedy there were a section of people who recalled the dreadful days following the landslides.

Shyja, an Asha worker, spent 11 days in the mortuary to help identify about 100 bodies.

“It was a most painful duty and I still get sleepless nights when I recall the faces of the small kids lying dead before my eyes, and not to mention seeing dismembered bodies. Being an Asha worker who worked with the people closely it was my job to identify the dead,” recalled Shyja.

Dr Shankar who worked at the hospital where the bodies and the injured were brought, says there were heart rendering scenes.

“We are also human beings and have emotions and seeing the pain and tragedy, it was really tough for us,” said the medical professional.

Forest Officer Sivaraman said they were one of the first officials to reach the Chooralmala area after disaster struck.

“When we reached the place, it was pitch dark and homes were getting swept away. However, despite all the difficulties we were able to rescue 40 people. We did our best in the most trying times,” recalled Sivaraman.

A woman living by the Chaliyar lake at Pothukal where 80 bodies and over 257 body parts were recovered, said the scenes would continue to haunt her for a long time to come.

With the tragedy still fresh in the minds and hearts of the people, all eyes are on the Vijayan government on how quickly they are able to complete the townships and give a new lease of life to the victims of nature's fury.

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