Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 15 In his Independence Day speech, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday mentioned the July 30 Wayanad landslide disaster, the worst-ever tragedy to hit the state, and said all have to overcome grief and march forward.
CM Vijayan said this soon after taking the salute at an impressive parade at the Central Stadium in the capital city.
“The stage is such that even in the 21st century, while developments have taken place in a big way, we are still not able to make precise predictions of calamities. At present, all that we get is a general warning, but not a precise one and that has to be addressed as the lives and properties of people continue to be vulnerable. This has to change,” said CM Vijayan, who added that some are trying to mislead people by invoking superstitions and illogical narratives.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the forces presently engaged in rescue operations in the four affected villages of Wayanad took a day off to attend their Independence Day parades, while the locals were engaged in the rescue operations.
Incidentally, while CM Vijayan took the salute in the state capital city, his cabinet colleagues did it in the 13 district headquarters as part of the Independence Day celebrations.
At Wayanad local Minister O.R. Kelu took the salute, while in the four landslide-hit areas of the district, there were no celebrations.
In a related development, rescue workers recovered currency notes to the tune of Rs 4 lakh from the Vellarmala school, which was destroyed in the landslide.
The money, which was packed in a plastic cover, was handed over to the police who decided to search for the owners.
State Revenue Minister K. Rajan said that those engaged in rescue operations should ensure that people do so only under the supervision of responsible authorities.
On July 30 massive landslides hit four villages in Wayanad, which left 416 dead and 128 people continue to be missing.
There are more than 11,000 people now put up in over 115 relief camps.
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