New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Several Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs raised the Wayanad tragedy in the House on Tuesday and demanded that it be declared a national disaster.

The demands were raised by Kerala MPs after at least 44 people were killed and over 400 families were isolated in a massive landslide at Churalpara in Kerala’s Wayanad at around 2 A.M. on Tuesday.

Kerala CPI(M) MP, John Brittas, demanded that the central disaster management forces be deployed in Kerala “immediately” to carry out rescue and relief work.

The MPs said that more than 500 families were trapped due to the landslides, the bodies of some victims were being retrieved far from their homes, and in some cases entire families have been wiped out.

The MPs also demanded financial aid of Rs 5,000 crore and called on the Rajya Sabha Chairman to declare the incident a national disaster.

During a discussion in the Rajya Sabha, members expressed their condolences and urged the government to provide full support to the affected area.

Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, “The whole House in one voice is with them. The entire country has converged all agencies to help out the people in distress. The PM and CM, everyone is alert and engaged in the activity.”

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, said, “I don’t have complete information about the incident. I only learnt about the incident through newspaper reports and phone calls with the authorities. Many people have been killed due to the landslide. Because the incident happened in the night, no one was aware of how many people were killed.”

He urged the Vice President to ask the government to answer the Opposition’s questions about the “forces deployed there, financial help provided and rescue operations that are taking place.”

However, dismissing the LoP’s request for a Kerala Congress MP to be allowed to speak on the issue, Dhankhar said, “We express our condolences and our solidarity…Any disaster in any part of the country is of grave importance to us… I cannot confine tragedy to one state.”

Responding to the concerns, Leader of the House, JP Nadda, emphasised nationwide empathy for the tragedy and said that the “entire country is pained” by the incident.

He assured that the Government of India, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is “taking all necessary steps for the rescue operations.”

“Our concerns are understandable, but a standard procedure is followed in incidents like these. Our central agencies have reached the spot to carry out the rescue operations in coordination with the state government,” the Union Minister added.

Nadda further said that the government under the leadership of PM Modi is “proactive and pro-responsive” and that the agitation of Kerala MPs is understandable, but “we have to translate it into action.”

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also addressed allegations that the Centre was not releasing funds, asserting that this was “not the time to play politics.”

Rijiju clarified that funds were provided in advance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), a collaborative resource of the state and central governments for natural disasters.

He assured that all available rescue forces, including the NDRF, SDRF, Indian Army, and Air Force, have been mobilised.

Rijiju concluded by promising a detailed report from the Home Ministry “if requested by the House,” stressing the government’s “proactive and coordinated response” to the crisis.

–IANS

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Kolkata, July 30 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, accompanied by central armed police forces, are conducting raid and search operations at 10 places in West Bengal in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution case.

Sources said that three residences of rice mill owner Abdul Barik Biswas at Basirhat, Rajarhat and Barasat — all in North 24 Parganas district — are among the 10 places where the central agency officials have been conducting raid and search operations since Tuesday morning.

Biswas, a close aide of former state food and supplies minister Jyotipriya Mallick, was arrested by the customs department in connection with gold smuggling. A consignment of gold was also seized from his possession then.

He remained behind bars for some years and was then released on bail. After being released, he started multiple businesses like rice mill, cola trading, brick kiln and transport.

Exactly at that point of time, sources said, he became extremely close to the ruling Trinamool Congress leaders, especially Jyotipriya Mallick, who is currently in judicial custody in connection with the ration distribution case.

Meanwhile, another team of ED officials started conducting raid and search operations at the office of Jahangir PG Agro Food Products Private Limited at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, which is owned by local Trinamool Congress leader Jahangir Alam aka Pappu in connection with the ration distribution case.

Pappu’s brother Kaizer Ahmed is a heavyweight ruling party leader at Bhangar. Pappu, however, claimed that once he had a 10 per cent share in said entity, but never was he involved in the day-to-day functioning of that. “It is unfortunate that my name is surfacing in the matter,” he said.

Another place where the ED officials have been conducting raid and search operations since Tuesday morning is the office of PG High Tech Rice Mill at Deganga in North 24 Parganas district. Sources said that the owners of the entity reportedly had a close connection with businessman Bakibur Rahman, the first person to be arrested by the ED officials in connection with the ration distribution case.

–IANS

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Amaravati, July 30 (IANS) After extracting an assurance from the Centre in the Union Budget for financing and early competition of the Polavaram project, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Union is now waiting for a categorical announcement on the quantum of money for the irrigation project, which is expected to serve as the lifeline of the state.

The assurance in the Union Budget has raised hopes of early resumption of the work on the project across Godavari, which is the second top priority of CM Naidu after capital Amaravati.

Both the projects found mention in Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech.

For Amaravati, she announced that the Centre will facilitate special financial support through multilateral development agencies.

“In the current financial year Rs. 15,000 crore will be arranged, with additional amounts in future years,” she said.

However, no specific announcement was made for Polavaram, which was already declared a national project.

“Our government is fully committed to financing and early completion of the Polavaram Irrigation Project, which is the lifeline for Andhra Pradesh and its farmers. This will facilitate our country’s food security as well,” she said.

Naidu, who is leading the NDA government in the state and is a key ally in the BJP-led coalition at the Centre, is satisfied that the Centre has taken the responsibility of completing the project.

A dream of people of the region since 1941, Polavaram is perhaps the most jinxed project in the country.

The future of the Rs.55,000 crore multipurpose project still hangs in the balance due to the alleged mismanagement during the last five years and also damages it suffered in 2019-20 due to floods.

Amaravati and Polavaram are the two tasks which Naidu could not accomplish in his earlier stint as the Chief Minister of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh (2014-19).

While Amaravati is his brainchild, Polavaram is a long-pending project. Soon after assuming office last month, he declared them as his priorities.

He blamed his predecessor YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for killing Amaravati and also held him responsible for alleged mismanagement of the Polavaram project, leading to delays and damages and resulting in cumulative loss of Rs 52,900 crore.

According to CM Naidu, the losses during YSRCP rule were Rs.45,000 crore due to delay in supplying water to ayacut areas. The losses on account of damages and repair were Rs.4,900 crore. The delay in hydel power generation resulted in loss of Rs.3,000 crore.

CM Naidu personally visited Polavaram last month to review the status of the work and this month he released a White Paper on the project.

CM Naidu called Jagan a ‘curse’ that stalled the Rs 55,548 crore multipurpose national project.

An expenditure of Rs.16,761 crore has been incurred ever since Polavaram was declared a national project by the NDA government in 2016.

The Centre has so far released Rs.15,146 crore to the state government through the Polavaram Project Authority.

The project is designed to utilise Godavari water going waste into the sea to turn Andhra Pradesh into a drought-free state.

The multipurpose project is not only expected to stabilise ayacut in Godavari delta but also supply water to North Andhra and Rayalaseema for drinking and irrigation needs.

The project will also control the floods and generate hydel power.

The project is also designed to divert 80 TMC water from Godavari to Krishna River to fulfil the drinking water and irrigation needs of the drought-prone Rayalaseema region.

Polavaram will store 194 TMC of water, utilise 322 TMC of water, irrigate 7.2 lakh acres, stabilise ayacut of 23.50 lakh acres, supply drinking water to 28.50 lakh people, generate 960 Megawatt of power.

Water tourism and availability of water for industrial use are the other expected benefits of the mega project.

The project’s main features include a diaphragm wall with 90 meter depth, huge gates of 20 meter height and 16 meter width, 390 km long left and right canals.

Naidu recalls that in 2014 he took oath as the chief minister only after the Centre issued an Ordinance to merge seven mandals of Telangana with Andhra Pradesh. As these mandals are likely to be submerged, they were merged with Andhra Pradesh to avoid any inter-state disputes.

Naidu claims that 72 per cent of the works were completed between 2014 and 2019 while only 3.84 per cent works were carried out during the YSRCP rule.

“I visited the project 31 times and held virtual reviews 104 times,” he said.

Out of the total Rs.15,364 crore expenditure incurred, Rs.11,762 crore was spent during 2014-19.

During the YSRCP rule (2019-24), works worth only Rs.4,167 crore were taken up, Naidu claimed.

He also alleged that the Jagan government diverted Rs.3,385 crore of central funds released for Polavaram.

CM Naidu declared on June 28 that his government would rope in international experts to assess the project’s current status due to the damages caused by the mismanagement by the previous government.

“The Diaphragm wall was damaged due to Jagan’s stupid decisions. His incompetence, arrogance and audacity put the survival of the project in jeopardy,” said CM Naidu.

During the TDP regime, the diaphragm wall was completed at a cost of Rs. 436 crore. However, officials indicated that an additional Rs. 447 crore would be required to rectify damages caused under the subsequent government.

Moreover, the construction of a new diaphragm wall was estimated to cost Rs. 990 crore and could potentially span three to four seasons for completion.

The project was originally planned to be completed by 2020.

CM Naidu was uncertain as to how much time and money it would take to complete the project. Repair works necessitated by these delays are projected to cost Rs. 4,900 crore, contributing to a significant 38 per cent increase in the project’s overall expenses.

Recently, an expert from the United States and another from Canada visited the project site. They have been engaged by the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) to review planning, designs and drawings submitted by the Water Resources Department of Andhra Pradesh), which is the executing agency.

Conceived at a cost of just Rs. 6.5 crore before India achieved Independence to now a whopping Rs. 55,000 crore, Polavaram remains the most jinxed project in the country.

From reorganisation of states to formation of Andhra State, its merger with then Hyderabad State to form Andhra Pradesh and then to the bifurcation of the state, Polavaram has come a full circle.

It was in 1980 that Tanguturi Anjaiah, Chief Minister of then undivided Andhra Pradesh, laid the foundation stone for the prestigious project but it could not go beyond unveiling of a plaque. It was not a priority for the subsequent governments of both the Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

CM Naidu, who was the longest-serving CM in the undivided Andhra Pradesh (1995-2004), faced criticism for ignoring agriculture.

When YS Rajasekhara Reddy led the Congress back to power in 2004, he included Polavaram in his priorities. The work was launched in 2005 and most of the work on the two canals was completed.

YSR, as he was popular among his followers, secured 95 per cent of the Central government clearances including the environmental clearance. YSR’s death in a helicopter crash in 2009 and the subsequent political upheaval due to revival of demand for Telangana state once again put Polavaram on the back-burner.

However, the project got a new lease of life in the most unexpected way. Conceding the demand for statehood to Telangana in the face of a massive movement, the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government offered a few incentives to compensate the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh for losing out capital Hyderabad to Telangana.

Declaring Polavaram a national project was one of the inducements offered in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. This meant that the central government would build the project.

In 2016 under the special package offered by the Centre in lieu of special category status, the Centre agreed to provide all the funds required for Polavaram and allowed the state to take charge of the construction.

This move by Naidu came under criticism from Congress leaders, who argued that only Central agencies have the expertise to execute projects of such a complex nature.

Naidu’s move to sever ties with NDA in 2018 came as another blow to Polavaram as the Centre and state traded allegations of corruption.

During the 2019 election campaign, Prime Minister Modi had alleged that Polavaram became an ‘ATM’ for Naidu.

“Polavaram has become like an ATM for him to draw money from the Centre,” PM Modi said. “Where is the money in your ATM,” Naidu had asked, hitting back at PM Modi for not reimbursing Rs. 4,500 crore the state government spent in spite of the financial crisis.

Returning as chief minister after five years in alliance with the BJP, Chandrababu Naidu is once again pinning his hopes on PM Modi to complete the project.

–IANS

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Kozhikode, July 30 (IANS) Locals living in and around the Chaliyar River in Kerala’s Malappuram district, around 100 km from Wayanad, were shocked to find around 10 bodies floating in the river on Tuesday.

The bodies, which have been recovered from the river, are of children, some men and a female.

The locals said the bodies could belong to natives of the Pothukalu area in Wayanad district, which has been affected by the landslides and flooding after heavy rainfall.

A local on condition of anonymity told IANS that 10 bodies had been recovered from the river which is in spate.

With the recovery of these bodies, the death toll in the Wayanad landslides tragedy has reached 56. However, the official confirmation was awaited.

The worst affected areas in the Wayanad district are Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu. The locals from these areas, who managed to escape, are deeply shattered by the intensity of the devastation. Almost all have lost their houses and some of their dear ones.

“There are hundreds of people living in Mundakayil where I have been living for the past 24 years. What happened is terrible. I am deeply saddened. In this hospital there is no one from the area where I live,” said a deeply upset Kunju Mohammed, who said he had lost his house.

“I hail from the Pothukalu area and this is going to be the worst tragedy that Wayanad has witnessed. None has a clue of the number of lives lost as the entire place is ravaged by the landslides,” said a local who was inconsolable while searching for his immediate family members in the hospital.

The landslides were reported to have occurred at around 2 a.m.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M), Congress and other parties have given a call to their cadres to reach the affected areas to help the people.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday extended greetings to Mata Prasad Pandey, the newly appointed Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly, and also took a veiled jibe at Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav, popularly referred as ‘chacha’.

“I congratulate you on becoming the Leader of the Opposition in the House,” the Chief Minister said while beginning his speech in the Assembly.

“Yeh ek alag Vishay ha ki aapne chacha ko gaccha de hi diya. Chacha hamesha hi maat khaata hai. Unki niyati hi aisi hi (Though, it’s a different matter that you nudged the chacha (referring to Shivpal Yadav) to the margins. Chacha often gets treated in the same way. This is their character,” the UP CM said, taking a dig at SP’s culture.

Notably, Shivpal Yadav is the brother of former CM Mulayam Singh Yadav and the uncle of SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav. Following the demise of Mulayam Singh, the uncle-nephew fell out over the ‘control of the party’. Their rift and tussle grabbed headlines. Later, Akhilesh got full control of the party and Shivpal went to form his own party.

Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government is presenting a supplementary budget of about Rs 30,000 crore in the Assembly on Tuesday, the second day of the Monsoon session of Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

Earlier in the day, the UP cabinet meeting was held at the Chief Minister’s residence which was attended by both Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak. The cabinet approved the supplementary budget of Rs 30,000 crore.

–IANS

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