THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, July 30: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, raised the issue of the landslides in Wayanad, Kerala, in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
He urged the central government to provide all possible assistance to those affected. Rahul emphasized the need to develop a plan of action to deal with such natural disasters. He brought up the topic during Zero Hour in the House.
Rahul had represented Wayanad in the previous Lok Sabha. In the most recent elections, he was elected from both Raebareli and Wayanad, but he resigned from the parliamentary constituency in Kerala. In the by-election for Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi’s sister Priyanka Gandhi will be the Congress candidate.
Over 70 killed, extent of damage being assessed: Rahul
In the House, Rahul Gandhi stated that a severe landslide had occurred in Wayanad, resulting in more than 70 deaths. He noted that the extent of the damage was still being assessed due to the scale of the disaster.
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He also mentioned that he had spoken with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
He urged the central government to provide all possible assistance for rescue operations and medical care, and to issue immediate compensation with an increased amount.
Urgent need to map landslide-prone areas: Rahul
He also urged the government to map landslide-prone areas immediately and take prompt measures to prevent such incidents. He emphasized the need to develop a plan of action to deal with the increasing cases of natural disasters.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju mentioned that Prime Minister Modi had spoken with the Kerala Chief Minister, and relief and rescue operations are ongoing.
The Prime Minister also announced an ex-gratia payment of two lakh rupees from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each person who died in the incident and 50,000 rupees for the injured.
