Kerala was warned about landslides, but did not act, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Centre had sent multiple advance warnings, starting as early as July 23, to the Kerala government about possible floods and landslide and nine NDRF teams were rushed to the state the same day.

However, the Kerala government did not heed to the advance warnings and also did not get alerted even by the arrival of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions, Shah said in the Rajya Sabha while intervening in the short duration calling attention motion on the Wayanad landslide tragedy.

Shah assured the House that the Narendra Modi government was standing like a "rock" with the Kerala government and people of the state in this moment of tragedy. He also promised all help from the central government.

The home minister was intervening in response to statements from the Opposition who blamed the loss of lives to the lack of early warning systems for natural calamities such as the one in Wayanad, amid calls from several members cutting across party lines to declare the tragedy in Kerala a national disaster.

"There were accusations, whether in the absence of information or what I do not know but I need to specify here through the House to the entire nation. They kept saying early warning, early warning...I would like to specify that on July 23, the Kerala government was given an early warning by the central government," Shah asserted.

He further said,"On July 23, seven days prior, then again on July 24, and July 25. On July 26 it was informed that there will be heavy rainfall of more than 20 centimeters, there is a possibility of a landslide, there could be a rush of mud and people could even die by getting buried beneath it."

Taking a dig at the Opposition, the home minister said,"...that is why I say, do not shout please listen to us, please read it. Read the warning that has been sent." There are many state governments who have achieved zero casualty by heeding to these early warnings for natural calamities, Shah said citing examples of Odisha and Gujarat.

Asserting that there is an early warning system, he said the government has spent Rs 2,000 crore on it after 2014, and this information is shared with states seven days prior and that information is also available on the website for all, including MPs.

In an apparent dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he said, "But some people do not open Indian sites, only foreign sites, now on overseas (websites) this early warning system will not show, you will have to open our sites".

"I would like to reiterate that early warning was given and therefore we dispatched nine NDRF teams there on July 23 whereas three battalions were sent yesterday (July 30)," Shah said.

If the state government was alert to the arrival of the NDRF teams, a lot could have been saved, the home minister claimed.

"The central government sent nine NDRF teams by air. May I ask what the Kerala government did? Whether or not unauthorised people were living there, this was a vulnerable situation at hand, were the people evacuated? Why were they not evacuated? Who stopped them and if they were evacuated how did the (people) die?," Shah asked.

He claimed that the people were evacuated later not earlier but expressed solidarity with the state and reassured the Rajya Sabha that irrespective of party politics, the Modi government will stand by the people and the government of Kerala like a rock.

The home minister also emphasised that India boasts of the world's most technologically-advanced early warning system and shared that only four countries, including India are able to detect the possibility of such natural calamities seven days prior to the incident.

Replying to the calling attention motion, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the Upper House that 133 bodies have been recovered so far and death toll may rise.

Initiating the calling attention motion on the Wayanad tragedy, Arun Singh (BJP) informed the Upper House of several steps taken by the Centre to aid relief and rescue operations.

Taking part in the discussion, John Brittas CPI(M) termed it the worst landslide that occurred in Kerala, while urging the Centre to declare it as a 'national disaster'.

Jebi Mather Hisham (Congress) also joined him in seeking the Wayanad tragedy to be declared a national disaster and lamented that there were no early warning systems for such natural calamities. Raghav Chadha (AAP) also called for strengthening early warning systems as part of measures to prepare "ourselves for such unfortunate incidents in the future".

Praful Patel (NCP), M Thambidurai (AIADMK) also supported the call to declare the Wayanad tragedy a national disaster.

Saket Gokhale (AITC), Muzibulla Khan (BJD), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD), V Sivadasan CPI (M), AA Rahim CPI(M), Harish Beeran (IUML), Ramji (BSP) and GK Vasan TMC (M) also took part in the discussion.

BJP member Surendra Singh Nagar, without naming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said had the former MP of Wayanad raised various issues affecting people of the constituency in Parliament during his term, the lives could have been saved.

He alleged that Gandhi hasn't visited Wayanad so far after the tragedy struck.