Kerala HC Takes Suo Moto Cognizance on Wayanad Landslides, Hearing to Begin Tomorrow
Wayanad (Kerala): The Kerala High Court has taken a suo moto cognizance of the Wayanad landslides that occurred on July 30, claiming 225 lives and displaced thousands of people.
The division bench of justices Jayasankaran Nambiar and VM Shyamkumar directed the registry to take a suo moto case. The court also said that they should think about what can be done legally to control things like illegal mining and floods.
Based on the media reports and the letter received by the High Court, the Wayanad landslide case was taken up on suo moto. The case will be heard tomorrow morning.
After the Wayanad disaster, the High Court inquired about the situation. The court directed the government to examine what can be done to prevent natural calamities including landslides. The court summoned the Advocate General and instructed him to consider matters including legislation.
Some areas of Kerala are ecologically sensitive. This is a necessary step to reconsider whether sustainable development is possible here. Existing rules and regulations in these matters should be repealed if necessary. The division bench reminded the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary to deliberate and make a decision to prevent further natural calamities.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit landslide-affected sites in Wayanad on August 10.
In a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, the Chief Minister said that the state has requested the central government to declare this as a national disaster and a severe calamity.
"In this regard, the central government has appointed a nine-member committee to submit a report. The committee chairman visited today and we hope to receive central assistance for rehabilitation," the Chief Minister said. "We expect the Prime Minister to understand the situation firsthand and adopt a favourable stance," he added.
The Chief Minister said that the post-mortem procedures of 420 bodies have been conducted so far in Wayanad and added that the search operations will continue.
"Officially, 225 deaths have been confirmed. The body parts of 195 individuals have been found in various locations. DNA samples of these body parts have been sent for testing. The search is still ongoing. Post-mortems have been conducted on 420 bodies, 178 bodies have been handed over to relatives, and 233 burials have taken place," he said.
