Wayanad, Kerala: Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday paid tribute to the victims of the devastating 2024 Wayanad landslides, marking the second anniversary of the tragedy and reaffirming her commitment to supporting survivors as they continue rebuilding their lives.
In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi remembered those who lost their lives in the disaster and praised the resilience of the affected communities in Chooralmala and Mundakkai.
Two years since the tragedy that devastated the people of Chooralmala and Mundakkai, we pay homage to the bravery and resilience of the people of Wayanad.
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 30, 2026
In rememberance and homage to those who left us, we will continue to support those who survived in every way we can. We…
On 30 July 2024, one of Kerala's deadliest natural disasters struck Wayanad district when a series of landslides, triggered by incessant rainfall, devastated the villages of Chooralmala, Mundakkai, Attamala, Punchirimattom and Vellarimala in Meppadi panchayat.
More than 300 people lost their lives, while hundreds of homes, roads and public infrastructure were destroyed.
The Union government mounted a large-scale rescue and relief operation, deploying more than 1,200 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, Air Force, Navy, Fire and Rescue Services and Civil Defence, among other agencies, to search for survivors and assist affected residents.
The anniversary comes weeks after another landslide struck Wayanad. On 7 July this year, a landslide hit a tunnel construction site at Kalladi in Meppadi grama panchayat, burying a large section of the worksite under debris and claiming eight lives.
During a visit to the Meenakshi Bridge site at Kalladi on 25 July, Priyanka Gandhi assessed the situation and urged authorities to implement temporary measures immediately to prevent accumulated debris and mud from causing further damage while awaiting the findings of an official inquiry.
"I came to see the site, and I was discussing that while this inquiry is going on… whatever temporary measures need to be taken so that the debris that we can see and the mud that we can see don't cause a problem. We should take those temporary measures immediately. And then the permanent measures can be taken as soon as the inquiry is over," she said.
She also criticised the Union government, alleging political bias in the allocation of assistance to states affected by natural disasters.
"The Centre always has political bias. We know it. It's so even in states like Himachal Pradesh, other states, and here as well. So we can't really depend much on them. We have to try to do whatever we can, and we are trying to do whatever we can from the state itself," she said.
Following the Kalladi landslide, the Kerala government announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) for the families of those killed and sanctioned financial assistance of up to ₹2 lakh for those injured.
The state government also constituted an expert committee to investigate the cause of the accident, including compliance with contractual, environmental and forest clearance norms. Tunnel construction will resume only after the committee submits its report.
