New Delhi | Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday asserted that advance warnings on heavy rainfall in Kerala were issued to the state government at least a week ahead of the deadly landslides in Wayanad that have left a trail of death and destruction.
Replying to a discussion on the Calling Attention Motion in the Lok Sabha, he said the Centre had sent eight teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on July 23 to assist the Kerala government in any eventuality of a disaster.
"When the landslides struck Wayanad, the NDRF teams got the green signal from the collector and relief operations were launched immediately," the Home Minister said.
He said all verticals involved in relief and rescue operations have been deployed, including the Army, Air Force and even a small unit CISF which was posted in the region.
"I would like to tell the people of Kerala and Wayanad through this House that the government of India will provide every possible help and every possible effort for rescue, relief and rehabilitation," Shah said.
"This is the time to stand like a rock with Wayanad and the Modi government is committed to this," he asserted.
Shah said about six years ago, experts from IIT-Delhi had suggested relocating people from the landslide-affected areas, but their advice was not heeded to.
He said since the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, emphasis has been placed on advance preparation, in addition to rescue work, to deal with possible disasters to prevent loss of lives.
"On July 18, it was forecast that Kerala's western coast would experience above-normal rainfall. On July 25, it was forecast that there would be heavy rain. On July 23 itself, eight teams of the NDRF were sent to the region," Shah said.
