Wayanad (Kerala): As rescue operations in landslide-hit areas of Wayanad district continued for the sixth day on Sunday, authorities intensified efforts to recover bodies and also prepared a mass grave for unidentified remains, amid discussions in the state on donations to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund and whether to classify the natural calamity as a 'national disaster'.
On Sunday, more personnel and equipment were deployed in areas where the likelihood of finding bodies is high, and a drone-based Intelligent Buried Object Detection System was used to identify locations where bodies might be buried deep under huge boulders or logs.
Stepping up the rescue operations, hundreds of personnel from various forces, including the NDRF, K-9 Dog Squad, Army, Special Operations Group, Madras Engineering Group, Police, Fire Force, Forest Department, Navy, and Coast Guard were deployed in the disaster-struck areas.
According to State Revenue Minister K Rajan, till date 221 bodies and 166 body parts have been recovered.
He said that the number of missing persons has gone down to 180 from the earlier 206 after authorities were able to get in touch with some of them over phone.
Search operations also continued along the Chaliyar river that flows through Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode. The river has become a haunting symbol of destruction after the bodies of those who died in the Wayanad lanslides washed up on its banks.
The total number of bodies found in the Chaliyar river is 74, and body parts is 134, making a grim total of 208, officials said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan appreciated the valiant efforts of the police and the fire force in the rescue operations while addressing the passing-out parade of Kerala police today.
Union Minister of State for Tourism, Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi arrived in Wayanad today to visit the landslides-hit areas.
Interacting with reporters here, he said the Centre would examine the legality behind the demand from various quarters to classify the Wayanad landslides a 'national disaster'.
"The impact has to be studied," he said.
He also said that he would apprise the central government of everything he saw and understood after visiting the disaster-hit areas.
With regard to assistance to be provided by the Centre to Kerala, Gopi said the state has to assess the damage and make a request.
Senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan too remarked in a Facebook post that there exists no concept of declaring a natural calamity a 'national disaster' under central government guidelines, according to a policy unchanged since the UPA government's tenure.
He posted a 2013 Parliament document in which then Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran stated that "there is no provision to declare a natural disaster as a national disaster." "The concept of a 'national disaster' does not exist under the central government's guidelines, a fact that has been the case since the UPA government's tenure.
"While there is no official designation of 'national disaster', each disaster is addressed according to its severity," he added, "and urged people not to attempt to create baseless controversies during this time of disaster".
The attempt to create controversy on social media around donations to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) was also in the news, especially because of the cooperation extended by the Congress-led UDF to the state government to rebuild landslide-ravaged Wayanad.
The Congress said all its MLAs would contribute their one month's salary to the fund.
In a bid to ensure transparency regarding donations to the CMDRF for landslide relief in Wayanad district, the Kerala government on Sunday set up a temporary complaint redressal cell to address queries about the funds' utilisation.
The decision also comes in the wake of smear campaigns and criticisms from certain quarters against donations to the CMDRF.
While announcing the contribution to the CMDRF, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan also said that the UDF will take part in all the rehabilitation efforts and work towards restoring normalcy in the lives of the survivors.
Along with the rehabilitation efforts, all technological assistance available in the world should be used to set up a warning mechanism, he said.
There should also be a proper plan to evacuate people within a short period after a warning is issued, he added.
On the issue of rehabilitation, state Industries Minister P Rajeev said that a model project would be prepared to set up a safe township, as announced by the CM a day ago, for the survivors of the landslides.
Meanwhile, Minister Rajan said that preparations have been made for the mass burial of unidentified or unclaimed bodies and body parts based on the extent of their decomposition.
He said that, a day ago, five bodies were buried, and on Sunday, eight more will be laid to rest in graves prepared in a 64-cent land of Harrisons Malayalam Ltd here that has been acquired for the purpose.
The burials will be carried out amidst prayers and the last rites of all religions, he said.