KOCHI: The Kerala government on Friday blamed the contractor for the July 7 landslide at Kalladi in Wayanad in a report submitted before the High Court.
The High Court directed the State to ensure the immediate disbursal of ex gratia compensation to the victims and bear the hospitalisation and treatment expenses of the injured until their discharge.
A Division Bench of Justice AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Preetha AK issued the directions while considering the suo motu proceedings initiated in the aftermath of the devastating Wayanad landslides of 2024.
The Bench directed the authorities to hand over the bodies of the deceased to their families without delay to enable them to perform the last rites.
During the hearing, the court sought details of the casualties and was informed by the State that six persons had died in the incident. Officials also told the court that the bodies were being prepared for transportation to their native places after post-mortem examinations.
About those injured in the landslide, the court directed that hospitals should not insist on any payment from the victims or their families until they are discharged.
It observed that the State should initially bear the expenses towards ex gratia compensation, treatment and hospitalisation, and that these costs would be treated as a charge on the project. The question of recovery will be decided later.
In its report, the State government said the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) had issued directions to the contractor on May 26 and June 4 to remove excavated soil and debris from the project site and ensure that the dumped material did not pose a threat to the public.
According to the report, the authorities had reiterated the need to ensure adequate safety measures even on the day before the landslide. The government further informed the court that it had constituted two independent committees to investigate the incident.
A committee headed by the Secretary, Disaster Management Department, will conduct a technical and legal inquiry into the landslide, while another committee led by the Secretary, Environment Department, will examine whether the conditions attached to the project's environmental clearance had been complied with.
Further action will be based on the panels' findings.
The court was also informed that instructions to stop construction activities had been issued in May. On the status of those still missing, the KSDMA submitted that active excavation was continuing with the help of heavy earthmoving machinery, while manual labour was also being deployed as the accident site remained slushy and unstable.
Directing the State to ensure that the announced ex gratia compensation is disbursed without delay, the Bench sought a detailed report on the incident and the steps taken by the authorities.
It also made it clear that it would continue to monitor the matter on a weekly basis and posted the case for further hearing next Friday.
The High Court has been monitoring rehabilitation and other measures undertaken by the State and the Centre in the suo motu proceedings initiated after the catastrophic Wayanad landslides of 2024, which claimed hundreds of lives and caused widespread destruction.
