Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Tourism Suresh Gopi visited the landslide-affected areas of Wayanad on Sunday as the death toll crossed 360, with at least 200 people still missing. He said that the legal aspects of declaring the landslide in Wayanad as a national disaster will be examined.

Suresh Gopi visited Mundakkai and Churalmala areas in Wayanad where the impact of the landslides severely affected the people. He also visited Punchiri Mattam in Mundakkai, the origin points of the landslide, on Sunday morning and assessed the situation and received updates on the ongoing search operations from officials.

He also held discussions with Kerala PWD Minister Mohammad Riyaz and the army officers who are leading the rescue operations. The Army officials briefed Suresh Gopi about the rescue operations. He also visited the relief camps.

Later speaking to media persons, Suresh Gopi said that the legal aspects of declaring the landslides in Wayanad as a national disaster will be examined.

“In order to declare the landslide as a national disaster, its legal aspects must first be evaluated. Currently, the primary focus is on the mental health and rehabilitation of the survivors,” said the Union Minister.

Suresh Gopi said that the Centre is assessing the situation closely and that if more force is required for the search operation, Kerala government has to request it to the Centre.

The Kerala government and various parliament members from state have demanded to the Centre to declare the landslides in Wayanad as a national disaster. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan also raised the same demand in the Governors’ conference held in New Delhi on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry has clarified that there is no provision to declare all natural calamities as a national disaster. The clarification came in response to a question by K Sudhakaran, MP. The Central government also explained that the method is to consider each disaster according to its nature.

Even the floods in Kerala in 2018 and 2019 were not declared as a national disaster. The massive flood that engulfed Chennai was not declared a national disaster. If declared as a national calamity, the disaster victims get relief in loan repayment. They also get more financial support.