Greens Criticize Delayed Rehabilitation Efforts for Landslide Victims

Quick Summary

• Environmental activists from Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti (WPSS) have criticized the State government for delays in implementing the rehabilitation package for victims of the Chooralmala landslides.
• The rehabilitation plan remains stalled a year after the disaster, with accusations of corruption in relief fund utilization.
• WPSS claims illegal land growth and tourism ventures continue in environmentally sensitive areas without regulation.
• Around 4,500 families living in landslide-prone areas await relocation,while tourism development is allegedly prioritized over resettlement needs.
• activists accuse local representatives of prioritizing tourism over addressing pressing concerns such as tribal and farmer welfare.
• WPSS criticized an expert committee’s report on Wayanad landslides as inadequate for failing too address impacts from illegal construction and mining activities, attributing sole blame to rainfall events.

indian Opinion Analysis
The ongoing concerns raised by WPSS highlight entrenched issues regarding balancing environmental conservation with developmental pressures in Kerala’s ecologically sensitive regions like Wayanad.The allegations that rehabilitation efforts for disaster victims are being side-lined while encouraging tourism facilities raise serious questions about governance priorities when vulnerable communities are affected directly by environmental risks. Claims of corruption add further weight to calls for clarity and accountability from officials managing relief funds.

Furthermore, unresolved disputes about causation behind the landslides-whether driven primarily by natural rainfall or exacerbated through human activity-underscore gaps in decision-making informed by ecological research and evidence-based strategies that ensure lasting development models going forward. Addressing these issues urgently coudl help avert similar crises while enhancing faith among marginalized communities already facing precarious livelihoods due to disasters like Chooralmala.

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