"Not The Time For Blame Game": Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi To Amit Shah
After Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the Centre had warned Kerala ahead of the devastating Wayanad landslides that claimed at least 224 lives, the state’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, issued a strong rebuttal. Mr. Vijayan clarified that the warning mentioned by the Home Minister was a weather warning, which is always taken very seriously. He also emphasised that the situation requires focus on rehabilitation and rescue efforts, not a blame game, as the state is dealing with a disaster.
He urged that efforts should be focused on helping those in need, rescuing those who need to be saved, and finding those still buried in the mud. He called for determined efforts to recover the affected area and to restore the village that was lost.
“Union Home Minister asked in the Parliament that what Kerala did after receiving such a warning. The facts are known to everyone. Specially for you (journalists). You will have its records in your hands. Things will be clear if you check those facts,” the chief minister said in response to Amit Shah.
“Orange alert was in force in the areas where the disaster occurred. The IMD warned that there will be rainfall between 115 and 204 mm. But how much rain was there? The total rainfall in this area is 200 mm in the first 24 hours and 372 mm in the next 24 hours. Total rainfall is 572 mm in 48 hours. The rainfall was a lot more than the actual warning. Before the disaster occurred, red alert was not declared in that area. But after the accident, a red alert was issued in this area at 6 o’clock in the morning,” Mr Vijayan added.
The Kerala Chief Minister also said neither the Geological Survey of India nor the Central Water Commission had announced any flood or landslides warnings.
”On July 29 at 2 pm, the Geological Survey of India issued a green alert for July 30 and 31, indicating a possibility of minor landslides or rock bursts. However, by that time, heavy rain had already occurred, and the landslide had taken place. From July 23 to 29, the Central Water Commission, which is responsible for issuing flood warnings, did not issue any warnings for either Iruvazhinji Puzha or Chaliyar. The Union Home Minister has presented information in Parliament that is inconsistent with these facts,” he said.
Earlier, while participating in a discussion on the Wayanad landslides in the Parliament, Amit Shah had stated an early warning had been given to the Kerala government on July 23 and again on July 24. Shah pointed out that several states, including Odisha and Gujarat, had previously utilised the Centre’s early warning system to limit damages. Shah also mentioned that nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were sent to Kerala in advance, but the Kerala government did not evacuate people in time. He highlighted that India is among four countries capable of providing warnings on natural disasters at least seven days in advance.
