Centre must declare Wayanad landslide a national disaster: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged the Union government to declare the Wayanad landslide as a national disaster given the devastation it has left behind.

“I urge the Union government to support a comprehensive rehabilitation package for Wayanad. This package must include building disaster-resilient infrastructures to help the affected communities. The Union government should also enhance the compensation that people are getting. Importantly, the Union government should declare the Wayanad landslide as a national disaster,” LoP Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the Lok Sabha.

He said that there is a need for a comprehensive assistance plan from the Union to rebuild Wayanad.

The LoP also slammed the BJP MPs for not allowing the opposition to have a proper debate on the Wayanad issue in the Lok Sabha. “I am amazed to see that they are not allowing us to speak on Wayanad,” he said amid a ruckus.

On August 1, LoP and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi along with the Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi visited the landslide-affected Chooralmala in Kerala's Wayanad.

“We witnessed the devastation, pain and suffering which resulted from the tragedy. At least a 2 km hill has collapsed bringing with it a river of stones and mud. Given the scale of the tragedy, it seems that death will eventually cross 400 plus,” the LoP said during his address.

He said that it was heartening to see that all communities have come together to help the people of Wayanad, adding that people from different ideologies and communities have come together to help the people.

“I have seen many disasters and visited many disaster-hit places but what I witnessed in Wayanad is a very sad story. In many cases, only one member of the family has survived in Wayanad. In some cases, this lone survivor is a child while in other cases the survivor is an adult,” the LoP informed the Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi also thanked the Union and Kerala governments for the prompt rescue and rehabilitation in Wayanad while also thanking other rescue agencies and security forces for putting in all the efforts to rescue the people.

“Wayanad is a huge and concentrated tragedy. The governments of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana also put in their efforts and resources to help the people in Wayanad,” the LoP said.

He also thanked the House and all the members for the support and efforts they have given to the people of Wayanad.