Wayanad (Kerala) | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday laid the foundation stone for a model township to rehabilitate Wayanad landslide victims and said the project would move forward despite the lack of financial aid from the Centre.

Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony, the CM said the Centre had provided only an "insufficient" amount—Rs 529.50 crore—as a loan that must be repaid.

This was despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the disaster-hit areas and the state government seeking over Rs 2,000 crore in assistance for the rehabilitation work, he said.

"From our past experiences with them (Centre), we cannot expect anything more either," he added.

Despite financial challenges, Vijayan said the state government was able to prepare a rehabilitation package that serves as an example for the country and the world. He described it as a historic initiative driven by the unity, solidarity, and humanitarian values of the people of Kerala.

Vijayan said the "maha sandesh" (huge message) conveyed by the project was that "we can survive anything" if there is unity and solidarity among the people.

He added that the project demonstrated that "if people stand together, nothing is impossible, any challenge can be overcome, and no disaster can defeat Kerala."

Congress general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticised the lack of financial aid from the Centre, calling the Union government's loan "negligible".

During her three-day visit to Wayanad, Priyanka said the Kerala government's model township project was the first step in rebuilding the lives of landslide victims and giving them hope for the future.

She highlighted the "dignity and strength" with which the people of Wayanad supported each other, standing together regardless of political, religious, caste, or financial differences in the face of "sheer loss and devastation."

Priyanka said the landslides did not just displace people but "washed away" their entire lives.

She emphasised that both the state government and the Congress-led opposition were working to help them rebuild.

She also urged the state government to address grievances regarding some victims being left out of the beneficiary list and expressed hope that land would be allocated soon for the 100 houses the Congress has pledged to build for those affected.

Both she and Vijayan welcomed the Karnataka government's decision to sanction Rs 20 crore for constructing 100 houses, a promise made after the disaster.

Vijayan further stated that, in addition to the township, the state government had provided over Rs 25 crore in relief to affected families since the disaster. This included compensation for loss of lives, medical treatment, daily allowances, and rent.

He added that the government was also working to persuade the Centre to waive the disaster victims' loans.

State ministers O R Kelu, K Rajan, and P A Mohamed Riyas, along with Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan, also spoke at the event, welcoming the township project.

The township will consist of 1,000-square-foot, single-storey houses on plots of seven cents each, built on 64 hectares of land acquired by the government along the Kalpetta bypass.

A major landslide struck the Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions on July 30 last year, almost completely decimating both areas, injuring hundreds, and killing over 200 people, with 32 still missing.