Kerala minister flays delayed declaration of Wayanad landslide as 'disaster of severe nature'
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Criticising the Centre for taking five months before declaring Wayanad landslide as a 'disaster of severe nature,' Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan said on Tuesday that it would have been more beneficial if the Centre’s announcement had come within two months after the calamity struck.
The state government had on Monday received an official communication from the Centre that the Wayanad landslides have been declared as a disaster of "severe nature," recognising its intensity and impact for all practical purposes.
Addressing reporters here, Rajan said it would have been more beneficial if the Centre’s declaration had come within two months of the disaster.
“We can’t just understand why it took more than five months for the Centre to make such a declaration,” the minister said.
He said despite the Inter-Ministerial Central Team submitting its report to the Home ministry within a month of the disaster, The Centre’s high-level committee sat on it for five months to recognise the landslide as disaster of severe nature.
Rajan said the Centre had not yet responded to the state’s demand to write off the loans of the disaster-affected people and make new loans available for their rehabilitation under Section 13 of the 2005 Disaster Management Act.
He said on the state government’s request, the Kerala Bank had written off the loans of landslide-affected people of Wayanad district setting a model before the Centre.
The Centre’s communication also does not mention anything about the state’s request for Rs 219 crore as additional assistance for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, he said.
If the Centre’s classification of the disaster had come earlier, the reconstruction work could have been better managed with the help of NGOs and other agencies, he said.
However, the government would now carry forward the reconstruction in Wayanad using the provisions envisaged in the Centre’s declaration, he said.
In a communication to the Kerala government on Monday, the Union Home Ministry explained that financial aid for such severe disasters is initially provided by the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), which is then supplemented by the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) based on assessments conducted by the IMCT.
"However, keeping in view the intensity and magnitude of the Meppadi landslide disaster in Wayanad district, it has been considered by the IMCT as a disaster of severe nature for all practical purposes," the communication said.
Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains in Chooralmala and Mundakkai regions in Wayanad district on July 30, had claimed over 200 lives and resulted in largescale destruction of property, leaving thousands of people homeless.
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No more street vending on B’luru’s main roads, as govt plans to bring new policy for street hawkers
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has decided to formulate a new policy for footpaths in Bengaluru, under which street vending will not be allowed on main roads and sub-main roads.
Addressing the media after a budget preparation meeting and executive meeting of GBA corporations at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said discussions were held with MLAs from the GBA region regarding the corporations’ budgets and key civic issues.
Leader of Opposition R. Ashok also participated in the meeting and shared his views. Officials from multiple departments, including police, BESCOM, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, along with ministers and legislators, were present.
He stated that all five municipalities have prepared their individual budgets, while MLAs have submitted their demands, including calls for ward-wise grants.
“We have decided to bring a new policy for footpaths. Citizens are struggling to walk as footpaths are encroached upon by street vendors,” Shivakumar said.
Highlighting the need to balance livelihoods and public convenience, he added that “a separate space will be provided for street vendors, and specific roads will be designated for their business,” ensuring that pedestrians can use footpaths without obstruction. He noted that there was unanimous agreement among MLAs on this approach.
Issuing a warning to vendors, Shivakumar said that authorities will act against those violating the rules. “If vendors operate during the day and leave their carts on the roadside at night, authorities will clear them. People should be aware of this,” he said.
Providing data on street vendors, he said that around 60,000 vendors have registered so far, of which 30,000 have applied for vehicles, and a tender has already been floated.
“Only those with street vendor identity cards will be allowed to do business. Those without ID cards will not be permitted to operate on the streets,” he added.
