Thiruvananthapuram: Days after a landslide claimed seven lives at Kalladi in Wayanad, the Kerala government on Friday constituted a three-member expert committee to inspect the tunnel and township project sites and submit a report on the safe removal of the debris accumulated there.
The decision to constitute the expert panel was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister V D Satheesan, which was attended by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Public Works Minister P K Basheer, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office.
The three-member panel comprises Dr Santhosh G Thampi, Professor at NIT Calicut; Dr Jude Emmanuel, Environmental Scientist at the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change; and a representative nominated by the Director of the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), the statement said.
An order issued by the Disaster Management Department stated that the committee will visit the tunnel and Wayanad township project sites and guide the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on the safe removal of the debris accumulated at both locations.
In the case of the tunnel project, the debris will be shifted to disposal sites identified by the Public Works Department (PWD). For the township project, the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) will identify suitable locations for depositing the excavated mud.
The committee has also been tasked with preparing a short action plan incorporating adequate safeguards for the safe removal of the debris. The plan is to be implemented meticulously by the PWD and the PIU, the order said.
The government has directed the committee to visit the sites and submit its report at the earliest.
The Wayanad District Collector has been instructed to extend all necessary assistance to the committee, the statement added.