Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], July 8 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke to Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan over the Wayanad landslide tragedy and assured the state of full support from the Centre, while also calling for a high-level probe into the incident that claimed three lives and left five people missing.
Shah held a telephonic conversation with Satheesan to review the situation arising from the landslide at the Kalladi tunnel construction site in Wayanad district.
During the conversation, the Union Home Minister took stock of the rescue and relief operations and assured the Chief Minister of all possible assistance from the Central government.
The CMO said Shah also appreciated the measures taken by the Kerala government in response to the disaster.
The Union Home Minister further urged the Chief Minister to initiate a high-level investigation into the incident. In response, Satheesan informed him that the state Cabinet, which met earlier in the day, had already approved a comprehensive inquiry into the tragedy.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Keralam Cabinet announced two separate investigations into the landslide. One probe will examine the circumstances that led to the accident, while the second will determine whether the environmental clearance conditions stipulated for the tunnel construction project were complied with.
Addressing a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Satheesan said, "Today's Cabinet meeting evaluated the tragedy in Wayanad and reviewed all reports received so far. It has been decided to initiate technical and legal proceedings to investigate the circumstances that led to this accident."
He added that preliminary reports suggested another landslide had occurred above the affected site and that further decisions would be taken after examining those findings.
The Chief Minister also said the Centre had granted environmental clearance for the tunnel project subject to strict conditions, and compliance with those guidelines would now be investigated.
"The central government had granted environmental clearance for this tunnel construction project with strict instructions. Whether the contractors followed them will be examined. Work will resume only after assessing all accident risks; until then, construction remains suspended. Two separate investigations will be conducted: one into the cause of the accident and another into whether environmental clearance guidelines were followed," he said.
The landslide struck the tunnel construction site at Kalladi in Meppadi Grama Panchayat on Tuesday, burying large sections of the worksite under mud and debris.
Rescue operations entered the second day on Wednesday, with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Rescue Services, Civil Defence and police continuing the search for the five missing workers.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Wayanad, forecasting heavy rainfall at isolated places, while Kerala Police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Rescue and investigation efforts are continuing.