Kerala looks at early rehabilitation of Wayanad's disaster-hit

The Kerala government announced on Monday that it will implement a comprehensive rehabilitation package for the disaster-affected people of Wayanad, where rescue operations and relief missions are still ongoing in the landslide-hit hamlets, and stories of great loss as well as great courage continue to emerge.

Land, houses and other infrastructure facilities required for the rehabilitation procedure would be constructed at the earliest, the authorities said. Several people from across the world have extended assistance for the rehabilitation efforts, Finance Minister K N Balagopal told reporters here. He was speaking after visiting the landslide-hit areas of Chooralmala in the district.

”The government will implement a comprehensive package for the rehabilitation of the people affected by the disaster,” the minister said. At present, the state government is giving top priority to the state of mind of the disaster-hit people housed in relief camps, he added. Search operations in the affected areas are continuing vigorously, the minister said.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the landslides that rocked the hamlets of Wayanad last week has touched 222, the state government said on Monday. Among the total dead, 97 were men, 88 were women, and 37 were children, as per the latest figures released by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). Among the 222 people dead, the bodies of 172 have been identified by their relatives, it said.