Relief, rehabilitation must rise above politics: Priyanka on Centre granting Rs 260 cr for landslide-hit Wayanad
New Delhi: The central government has approved only Rs 260 crore for rebuilding disaster‑hit Wayanad, while the Kerala government asked for more than double that amount – Rs 2 221 crore – to repair homes, roads and other damaged infrastructure after the July 2023 landslides that claimed over 200 lives.
Congress MP and Wayanad’s own Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticized the decision on X, calling the limited package “neglect.” She said the people of Wayanad “deserve justice, support and dignity.” “Human suffering cannot be a political opportunity,” she added.
The funding comes from a high‑level committee led by Home Minister Amit Shah, drawing from the National Disaster Response Fund. The Rs 260.56‑crore allocation is targeted at rebuilding the villages of Mundakkai and Chooralmala, which were among the worst hit on 30 July 2024. The disaster knocked down four villages, injured hundreds and left 32 people missing.
State officials have pressed for a larger package for more than a year. Kerala’s requests were backed by a Post‑Disaster Needs Assessment that put the total needed at nearly Rs 2 221 crore. The central allocation covers only about 11 percent of that figure.
The committee approved a total of Rs 4 645.60 crore for nine states. In comparison, Assam, which faced landslides in 2022, received Rs 1 270.78 crore; Uttarakhand got Rs 1 658.17 crore; and Himachal Pradesh got Rs 2 006.40 crore.
Kerala had previously received a Rs 529.50‑crore loan for disaster relief, plus Rs 153 crore in July. Still, state leaders say the amount is far too small to rebuild the communities hit by the July landslides.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Wayanad after the disaster, but no major funding announcement followed until now. Both the ruling Left and the opposition Congress blame the centre for ignoring Wayanad’s plight.
With the new approval, Kerala can begin the next phase of reconstruction across the district. However, officials say a larger package is still needed to fully restore Wayanad’s infrastructure and homes.
In March, Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan planted the foundation stone of a rehabilitation project that will build 402 houses, each with 1,000 square feet on seven‑cents of land. During the launch, he highlighted that the state is still under a central loan that it must repay, calling the lack of comprehensive disaster relief a failure on the Union side.
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