Kerala HC orders immediate relief as Wayanad toll rises to seven

Kochi/Kalpetta, July 10 (IANS) With the death toll in the Wayanad tunnel road landslide climbing to seven after one more body was recovered on Friday, the Kerala High Court directed the state government to immediately disburse ex gratia compensation to the victims’ families, provide free treatment to the injured and ensure that the bodies of those killed are handed over to their relatives without delay.

One person remains missing, with rescue teams continuing an intensive search at the accident site near Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi, where work on the Anakkompoyil-Meppadi tunnel road project, connecting Wayanad and Kozhikode districts, was underway when the massive mudslide struck on July 7.

Hearing the matter on Friday, a Division Bench comprising Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice A.K.Preeta made it clear that relief measures should take precedence over questions of liability.

On being informed that the bodies of the deceased were being embalmed after post-mortem examinations for transportation to their native places, the Bench orally observed that there should be no delay in handing over the bodies to their families so that the last rites could be performed without unnecessary hardship.

The court also directed that all expenses relating to the treatment and hospitalisation of the injured, including the needs of bystanders attending them, should be borne by the state government for the present.

“Ensure that treatment happens without insisting on any payment till discharge from hospital,” the Bench said, adding that the expenditure could initially be treated as a charge on the project, while the issue of recovering the amount from those ultimately found responsible would be decided later.

The Bench further directed that ex gratia compensation announced by the government for the families of those killed and injured should be disbursed immediately, and sought a fresh status report from the state by next week.

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) informed the court that rescue operations were continuing with excavators and other heavy machinery, although unstable terrain and slushy conditions had necessitated extensive manual search operations in the final stages.

The court was also told that construction activity at the project site had been ordered to stop in May.

The High Court said it would continue to monitor the matter on a weekly basis, with particular emphasis on the prompt payment of compensation and rehabilitation measures.

The directions came as part of the court’s continuing suo motu proceedings initiated after the devastating 2024 Wayanad landslides.

The Bench has now expanded its scrutiny to include the latest tunnel project tragedy, signalling close judicial oversight of both the rescue efforts and the circumstances that led to the disaster.

Even as rescue operations entered another day, the tragedy continued to generate political and administrative scrutiny, with the state government having already announced a high-level expert probe into all aspects of the project and the Kerala High Court now closely monitoring every stage of relief, rehabilitation and the investigation into the disaster.

–IANS

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