Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said it is learnt that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 260.65 crore as assistance for landslide-hit Wayanad, but the state is yet to receive the amount.
He made the statement during Question Hour in the Assembly.
Vijayan said the state had initially sought Rs 2,262 crore from the union government for rehabilitation of survivors and reconstruction of affected regions, based on a preliminary assessment.
Later, a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report estimating a requirement of Rs 2,221.10 crore was submitted to the Centre, he said.
The report assessed the cost of rehabilitating dependents of those who died in the tragedy and those who lost their livelihood.
The matter was considered by the Sub-Committee of the National Executive Committee (SC-NEC), which also held discussions with a state-level panel comprising Chief Secretary Dr A Jayathilak and other officials, he added.
"It is learnt that the Centre has decided to allot a financial assistance of Rs 260.65 crore. The amount is yet to be received," Vijayan told the House.
He recalled that Kerala had urged the Centre to declare the Wayanad landslide a "national disaster" and a "disaster of severe nature." The state also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to restore Section 13 of the Disaster Management Act to allow loan waivers for survivors, but "no favourable reply has been received so far," he said.
On rehabilitation efforts, Vijayan said the township project for survivors is progressing on 64.475 hectares of land at Elston estate, taken over by the government.
A total of 295 beneficiaries have given consent to move into new houses, and 49 more have been added to the list after appeals were scrutinised, he said. The project is expected to be completed by January 2026, he added.
The landslides that struck Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Wayanad on July 30 last year left over 200 people dead and many others injured, nearly wiping out both regions.
