Kerala accused of ignoring Wayanad landslide warnings; Privilege notice against Amit Shah
New Delhi: Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP V Sivadasan has filed a privilege notice in the Rajya Sabha accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misleading Parliament about Kerala's response to warnings preceding the recent landslides in Wayanad.
At least 256 people have died and nearly 220 are missing after heavy rains caused two landslides in the Meppadi area on Tuesday, as reported by Kerala Health Minister Veena George.
In Parliament, Shah claimed that the Kerala government ignored several warnings issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on July 23, 24, and 25. He also noted that nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were dispatched on July 23, with three additional units sent on Tuesday.
Kerala's government has disputed Shah's assertions, stating that the warnings did not meet the threshold for a red alert, which signifies "heavy to extremely heavy rain" exceeding 200 millimeters in 24 hours. Instead, an orange alert was in place, indicating "very heavy rain" between 60 to 200 millimeters, which was later surpassed by actual rainfall totaling 572 millimeters in 48 hours.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticized Shah’s comments as inappropriate during the crisis. Health Minister Veena George labeled Shah’s statements as "unfortunate and misleading," emphasizing that the district administration acted based on the orange alert issued.
In response to the disaster, rescue operations led by the Army have saved nearly 1,000 people, with 8,304 currently sheltered in 82 relief camps. CM Vijayan has arrived in Wayanad to oversee the situation and is scheduled to meet with local leaders. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are also expected to visit the relief camps.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has urged Shah to recognize the landslides as a "calamity of severe nature" under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme to facilitate additional support for the affected region. Tharoor emphasized the need for a coordinated response to address the scale of the disaster.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
