Wayanad landslip: Kerala forms expert panel to probe cause, orders ₹5 lakh aid for victims' families

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh each for the families of those killed in the landslip at the Kalladi Tunnel Phase III project in Wayanad and ordered a halt to all construction activities until an expert committee submits its findings on the incident.

The ex gratia will be disbursed from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). Those injured in the incident will also receive medical assistance of up to ₹2 lakh, depending on the nature and severity of their injuries.

The decision comes shortly after the Kerala High Court directed the state government to immediately provide compensation to the families of the deceased and bear the hospitalisation and treatment expenses of the injured until their discharge.

The landslip occurred on July 7 at the Anakampoyil-Meppadi twin-tunnel project site in Kalladi, Wayanad. The project was intended to improve connectivity between Wayanad and Kozhikode districts. Seven people were killed in the incident, while one person remains missing.

The government has also constituted an expert committee to investigate the cause of the landslip and submit a report. The panel has been tasked with examining the reasons behind the accident, whether the contractor violated any contractual conditions, and whether the project complied with the environmental clearances granted by the state and central governments, as well as the forest clearance issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

The committee comprises geologist Dr C P Rajendran, ecologist Dr Vishnudas, Chief Wildlife Warden Dr P Pugazhendi, IFS, the Secretaries of the Public Works Department and the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, with the latter serving as the convenor. The convenor has been authorised to induct additional experts into the panel, if required.

The government has also formed an expert panel to recommend a scientific method for removing the massive quantity of soil excavated during tunnel construction. That panel has also been entrusted with overseeing the safe removal and disposal of the debris accumulated at Elstone Estate.