KALPETTA: The intensive rescue operation entered its fifth day on Saturday at the Kalladi tunnel road landslip site, with teams racing against time under clear skies to locate the last missing person. The day marked significant milestones in the local recovery efforts, including the safe return of displaced families to their homes and a partial lifting of regional tourism restrictions, even as the government initiated high-level probes into the disaster.
Ground operations on Saturday witnessed a massive boost focussing on Zone 2, where search teams are desperately seeking Vikram Rana, a construction manager hailing from Himachal Pradesh. Vikram is the only person left unaccounted for out of the eight people initially reported missing.
A sharp improvement in local weather significantly aided Saturday’s mission. “We have positioned a dedicated 50-member specialised team strictly for an intensive search along the Meenakshi river,” said Minister T Siddique while supervising the site operations on Saturday.
The joint efforts of the revenue department and LSG institutions successfully disbanded the temporary relief camp functioning at the Meppadi Government Polytechnic College. With the immediate threat of secondary landslides diminishing due to the dry weather, displaced families were escorted back to their residences.
Probe ordered
The state government has launched a comprehensive investigation into the landslip. Under the authority of the Disaster Management Act, a newly constituted five-member probe panel led by geoscientist C P Rajendran has been formed.
Tasked with evaluating all federal and state environmental clearances, the panel will examine whether the contractor flouted safety criteria. Concurrently, an independent expert delegation from the Konkan Railway Corporation comprising two chief engineers and a senior geologist from Delhi will also conduct specialised geological assessments.
