KALPETTA: A special team assigned for the search mission on Sunday found six body parts of those missing in the Wayanad landslide, during a search from Anadikappu to Soochipara. The search was conducted following the requests of the relatives of those missing in the disaster. The body parts have been brought to Meppadi for identification.
A 14-member team including NDRF, Special Operation Group, Fire and Rescue team and volunteers were involved in the search. Since the search was in the tough terrain, satellite communication was also arranged. An airlift facility was also arranged.
In the wake of the landslide, the government has ordered the formation of a Post Disaster Needs Assessment team (PDNA) in the district. The main objective of PDNA is to estimate the economic costs of the landslide-damaged areas in the district and to make recommendations for rehabilitation and reconstruction activities.
The team will start working from August 26 to 31 in different parts of the district. A team of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will also be present in the district to provide guidance and technical assistance.
Meanwhile, the Wayanad district Kudumbashree Mission has approached the state-level bankers committee to write off the loans of Kudumbashree units ‘Ayalkoottangal’ in the disaster-affected areas of the district. Various Kudumbashree units in Chooralmala and Mundakkai owe loans worth Rs 3.66 crore to the banks.
There were a total of 62 Kudumbashree units in Mundakkai and Chooralmala where the landslide occurred, with 685 members in all these units. As many as 47 members lost their lives in the landslide. The debt liability of the Kudumbashree units, including their linkage loans, was Rs 3.66 crore. Apart from this, Kudumbashree micro enterprises also have to pay back money to the banks. The functioning of all the Kudumbashree micro enterprises are affected. Out of the total 18 Kudumbashree micro enterprises, not even one is working now.
In this situation, the Kudumbashree Mission has approached the state-level bankers’ committee with the demand that the banks should write off their loans.
Meanwhile, the government has sanctioned Rs 15 lakh to the Kudumbashree Community Enterprise Fund as an emergency assistance to the members, who have shifted from camps to rented houses, to start business. Kudumbashree is preparing to implement a scheme to ensure employment in places where disaster-affected families are temporarily resettled.
Search ops will continue: Minister
Kalpetta: Forest Minister A K Saseendran has confirmed that the search efforts will continue in the coming days. A crucial meeting is scheduled to be held at the collectorate at 10am on Monday to discuss the progress and next steps in the ongoing search and rescue operations. Following the meeting, Minister Saseendran will personally visit the Soochipara area, where the search is being actively conducted, to oversee the efforts. The search operation has been intensified due to the urgency of locating any survivors or identifying the remains of those who have been reported missing. The authorities are coordinating closely with various agencies to ensure a thorough and systematic search of the affected areas.
