New Delhi, July 31 Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, revealed that the Central government had issued warnings to Kerala about the impending disaster seven days prior to it. He also questioned the state government not taking preventive measures despite the warnings.
The Home Minister began his speech by offering condolences to the families of the victims of the Wayanad landslides and slammed the Opposition for politicising the issue.
On Tuesday night, massive landslides occurred at Churalpara in Kerala's Wayanad at around 2 a.m.
The area was cut off, but the local people and a team of rescuers were engaged in locating the missing people in the area, which had been ripped into two. The death toll has touched 184 while 225 people are reported missing while around 7,000 people have been housed in around 50 relief camps.
Shah stated, "On July 23, the Government of India issued a warning to the Kerala government. Warnings were sent on July 24, July 25 and also July 26, indicating that heavy rainfall exceeding 20 cm could lead to landslides and fatalities."
Responding to the "irrelevant" questions regarding the Early Warning System of the government, he said that instead of "shouting, read the warnings that were sent."
"There are many state governments who were able to secure zero casualty disaster management following the warnings sent by the Central government," he said, citing Odisha and Gujarat as examples.
"The government has spent Rs 2000 crore on this system since 2014 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power," the Home Minister asserted.
He said that the state government was sent a warning seven days prior to the disaster, and that warning is also accessible to everyone on the site, however, "some people don't open national sites, they are solely focused on the international sites, where they do not get national information."
Shah mentioned that only four countries in the world issue disaster warnings seven days in advance, and India is one of them.
The Home Minister mentioned that on July 23, nine NDRF teams were dispatched to Kerala following his approval in response to the warnings of potential landslides.
Slamming the lack of acknowledgement to the warning system, he said, "It is okay if they are unaware, but if they (Opposition) are politicising the issue, then it is disheartening. "
Questioning the state government's failure to implement preventive measures Shah said, "Everyone is questioning the government, but I would like to ask what the Kerala government did. It was a vulnerable situation, and they were warned about it, but why were people not relocated to safer places? They were only relocated after the disaster."
Addressing concerns about disaster fund allocation, Shah clarified, "Those who are saying that there is no provision by which the state government can release the disaster funds are wrong."
He said that under the State Disaster Response Fund, states have the authority to release up to 10 per cent of the allocated funds without the Centre's approval.
He added that "irrespective of party politics, the Modi government will firmly stand with the people and the government of Kerala during this crisis."
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