State Government Failed to Take Adequate Precautions Ahead of Kalladi Landslide: Pinarayi Vijayan

Meppadi: Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that the Kerala government committed serious lapses in making advance preparations ahead of the landslide disaster at Kalladi in Wayanad.

He said a large quantity of soil excavated as part of the tunnel road project had been left piled up at the site. A high-level meeting had earlier decided that the accumulated soil should be removed. "Who blocked the implementation of that decision?" he asked. Pinarayi also questioned why only a yellow alert had been issued despite warnings of extremely heavy rainfall, calling these failures serious lapses on the part of the government.

He made the remarks while addressing a press conference after visiting the landslide site and the relief camp at Kalladi.

He said there had been warnings that Wayanad would receive heavy rainfall for two consecutive days, but no corresponding preparedness measures were taken. He noted that the area received 266 mm of rainfall on the day of the disaster. Under the criteria of the India Meteorological Department, rainfall exceeding 244.4 mm qualifies as extremely heavy rainfall. However, only a yellow alert had been issued. According to reports, a red alert was declared only after the disaster had occurred, which he described as a serious instance of negligence.

He further alleged that the authorities had failed to implement precautionary measures to protect people living near the project site. A meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority, chaired by the District Collector on June 20, had assessed that soil erosion from the mounds of excavated earth could pose a threat to the lives and property of nearby residents. The meeting had directed the tunnel construction agency to immediately shift the soil to safer locations and, until then, take temporary measures to prevent landslides and soil erosion. Pinarayi Vijayan said none of these directions were implemented and that the government also failed to take any special measures.

He pointed out that the project comes under the complete supervision of the Public Works Department. On June 25, the Special Secretary and Additional Secretary of the PWD, along with the PWD Chief Engineer, visited the site and assessed that the stockpiled soil could be washed away during heavy rain, leading to an accident. They also recommended relocating families living near the Meenakshi Bridge in view of the forecast of heavy rainfall. He said no action was taken even after two weeks, describing it as a serious failure by the government to take urgent measures.

The Opposition Leader also alleged that there had been major failures in coordination, claiming that ministers made contradictory statements without coordination and were attempting to shift responsibility by blaming others.

Welcoming Chief Minister V D Satheesan's announcement of a detailed inquiry into the disaster, Pinarayi said it was important that the investigation be conducted by competent experts capable of identifying the failures that led to the tragedy. However, he alleged that the government was simultaneously attempting to mislead the public.

He accused the Chief Minister of making incorrect claims during a press conference regarding the environmental clearance granted to the tunnel road project. He said the Kalladi accident was not caused by an environmental issue. Even in areas without environmental concerns, he argued, piling up excavated soil without adequate safety precautions during construction could lead to such disasters. He alleged that the environmental clearance for the tunnel project was being dragged into controversy to divert attention from these failures by the government and maintained that the project had received environmental clearance after complying with all prescribed norms.