PM Modi undertakes aerial survey of landslide-hit Wayanad

New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook an aerial survey of the disaster-hit areas of Kerala’s Wayanad on Saturday and took stock of the devastation caused by landslides that claimed hundreds of lives.

Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Punchirimattom villages, the regions worst hit by landslides were among the areas surveyed by the Prime Minister, via IAF helicopter.

He was also shown the Iruvazhinji Puzha River, the area from where the devastating landslides originated.

PM Modi was accompanied by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Union Minister of State for Tourism, Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi.

After the aerial survey, PM Modi is set to undertake an on-ground inspection of the affected areas.

PM Modi is also set to examine the relief efforts being carried out by various disaster management teams. He will meet the victims and their families in hospitals and relief camps and is also likely to be briefed by rescue teams regarding the ongoing evacuation operation.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi arrived in Kannaur, from where he took an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter to reach Kerala’s Wayanad district.

A day before the Prime Minister’s visit to the landslide-struck region, the Kerala government sought Rs 2,000 crore in financial assistance for the rehabilitation and relief work in the disaster-hit region.

Rahul Gandhi, who won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad constituency, also shared a post ahead of PM Modi’s visit to the region.

“Thank you, Modi ji, for visiting Wayanad to personally take stock of the terrible tragedy. This is a good decision. I am confident that once the Prime Minister sees the extent of the devastation firsthand, he will declare it a national disaster,” Rahul wrote on X.

More than 200 people have perished and thousands have been displaced after the catastrophic landslides hit the region on July 30.

Following the unprecedented devastation caused by landslides, the Kerala government and Congress leaders asked the Centre to declare it a ‘national disaster’. The declaration would open the channels for the release of additional funds for relief and rehabilitation works.

--IANS

mr/dan