THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A week after the devastating landslides in Wayanad, the state government on Tuesday published a draft list of 152 missing persons with their address and photographs, even as the chief minister announced a slew of measures for rehabilitating the survivors and the displaced.
Announcing the number of the missing in Wayanad, Revenue Minister K Rajan urged relatives of those who went missing to provide their blood samples for DNA examination. As many as 44 unidentified bodies and 176 body parts have been buried so far, he told reporters after a meeting of the cabinet sub-committee at the collectorate.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in Thiruvananthapuram that the state government intends to build a model rehabilitation centre for the landslide-affected people in Wayanad. Funds will not be a constraint for the rehabilitation effort and the services of architects within the country and abroad will be sought for the project.
Chief Secretary V Venu will hold discussions with the Army, Navy and Air Force to decide on the future search and rescue plans. He added that adequate facilities will be ensured before shifting the displaced from relief camps that are functioning in schools.
Arrangements will be made to allow people to go back to their houses if the buildings are in livable condition. A thorough cleaning of the houses will be carried out and police personnel will help retrieve valuables. Buildings that are on the verge of collapse will be demolished without the permission of the owners by invoking provisions of the Disaster Management Act. New mobile phones and SIM cards will be provided to those who have lost connectivity. Directions have also been issued to distribute free supplies through ration shops in the diaster-hit areas.
While the Disaster Management Authority will begin post disaster needs assessment, the PWD will submit a report on the damage to movable and immovable property. The state relief commissioner will coordinate preparations for the visit of an inter-ministerial team, led by a joint secretary in the Union home ministry, to the worst affected areas in Wayanad. Only volunteers and officials engaged in rescue and rehabilitation will be allowed entry into the areas. Wards 10, 11 and 12 of Meppadi panchayat, that were directly affected by the landslide, have been declared disaster-hit zones.
