THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi did the right thing by visiting the landslide-struck Wayanad. That the Prime Minister chose to make promises of all help is also welcome.
But it is also true that hopes that the PM would sanction interim relief before waiting for the State to submit a detailed memorandum were belied. Considering the severity of the calamity, the Prime Minister could have announced an interim relief pending a final report from the Kerala Government. That was not to be. And that, to put it mildly, was disappointing.
Be that as it may, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government is exuding optimism that the Prime Minister would keep the promises he made while he was in Wayanad. Expectations are sky-high before and after the Prime Ministerial visit. And the State Government thinks that the PM, since has had a first-hand knowledge of the gravity of the situation, would sanction relief that would meet the demands of the serious situation.
The foremost demand of the State is that the Wayanad disaster be declared a national calamity. Of course, those who say it cannot be done advance the weak argument that there is no legal provision for that! But these doubting Thomases should know that a calamity of the kind that has devastated Wayanad does not afford the luxury of taking refuge behind legalities. It is an extraordinary situation and extraordinary situations demand extraordinary solutions. This certainly is not the time to talk about the legalities as has been done by Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi. That Suresh chose to talk about it is, to say, the least, regrettable.
Also, experts are of the considered view that the disaster can certainly be categorised as Level 3 of the National Disaster Management Plan, indicating a catastrophic situation which is beyond the capacity of the state to handle. There is another stream of thought which says that the Union Government can declare the disaster as a calamity of severe nature. Such an announcement would enable the Members of Parliament from both houses of Parliament to use a portion of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme for the rehabilitation of Wayanad. In support of their argument, these experts say the Union government had, for in stance, declared the 2018 floods that ravaged Kerala as a calamity of severe nature.
On its part, the State Government has sought a comprehensive relief and rehabilitation package from the Union Government. A major demand of the State Government is that a township be established for the affected families. It may be mentioned that the Prime Minister is in receipt of a report from Union Minister for Minority Affairs, fishing and animal husbandry George Kurien who visited the affected areas in Wayanad. Besides, the Home Ministry has appointed a nine-member team to submit a report on the State Government s request.
It was gratifying to note that the Union Government and the State Government worked in close coordination. A positive example of this has been the quick deployment of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the National Disaster Response Force for relief operations and humanitarian aid. In a heart-warming gesture, the Prime Minister extended his Wayanad visit by more than two and a half hours, defying protocol
These developments have encouraged the State Government to believe that the Prime Ministerial announcement of the financial package would match his promise. True, the CPI(M) State leadership has not officially commented on the Modi visit. But State tourism Minister P A MohammedRiyas, who was personally involved in the rescue and relief operations along with three other Kerala ministers, reacted quite positively to the visit.
In another positive development, leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi has thanked the Prime Minister for visiting Wayanad. Rahul said it was a good decision. The Gandhi scion also expressed the hope that the PM would declare the Wayanad disaster as a national disaster.
There is one more thing which Kerala expects the Prime Minister to do. He should stop his ministers from coming out with negative comments and trying to politicise the serious situation. To give one instance, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav insulted the victims of the Wayanad tragedy by dubbing them as illegal inhabitants and encroachers who invited the calamity on themselves by their trespasses on nature. It was also a shocking show of petty politics on the part of Home Minister Amit Shah who accused the Kerala Government of failing to act despite advance warnings of the disaster. Of course, Shah was proved wrong as the Kerala Chief Minister rebutted his claim by coming out with positive proof that the HM was weak wicket.
At the end of the day, Kerala is waiting, with bated breath, for an early Prime Ministerial announcement of financial assistance to the State. The Prime Minister has made many promises in Wayanad. Now is the time for him to walk the talk.(IPA Service)