Wayanad, Aug 7 (FN Agency) Kerala Revenue Minister K. Rajan said on Tuesday that army personnel, locals and volunteers are doing their best to find the persons still missing after the July 30 Wayanad landslide. Addressing media persons after a review meeting of the cabinet sub-committee concerned, Rajan said ‘A search is being conducted by the two teams comprising 12 members of the commandos of the Special Operation Group (SOG) of Kerala Police, Army, and Forest Department personnel, and they were dropped with the help of an Indian Air Force helicopter around 3 kilometres radius of the interior forest.’‘ They conducted a search operation for around 5 hours at the places where physically access was difficult, but no bodies or human parts were recovered from Soojipara. The search operation will continue with the help of cadaver dogs tomorrow morning, ” he said. The aim is to ensure that hard-to-reach areas are not excluded from the search.
For this purpose, thesubcommittee held discussions with various forces today, and further steps will be taken accordingly. Minster Rajan said, ‘Data and information collection of missing persons is intensive, for this reason, members of the ration cards are being verified with the help of Asha workers and people representatives.’ He said those people in the camp cannot be kept there for long periods, so efforts have been made to relocate to buildings or houses until rehabilitation is possible. He said directions have been given to find the vacant government-private buildings, houses, and resorts within a week.Rajan said, ‘Government is planning to set up a model township project to rehabilitate the survivors of the landslide disaster.” The government official’s figure of deaths is 224, while missing people are around 152, but unconfirmed sources said over 400 died and around 180 were still missing.2225 people from landslide-affected areas were residing in 16 camps in the Meppadi panchayat.