Wayanad Disaster: Chief Minister’s Office Clarifies on Expenditure Reports

Thiruvananthapuram – The Chief Minister’s Office has issued a statement refuting media reports on the amount spent on various items related to the Wayanad disaster, stating that these reports are contrary to facts.

The state government had submitted a memorandum to the central government seeking immediate further assistance to deal with the disaster, providing preliminary estimates of expenditure required for different subjects. However, the media has misinterpreted these figures as the actual amount spent in the disaster areas, which is not true.

This misrepresentation undermines the efforts of the state government to seek central assistance in connection with the Wayanad landslide disaster. The memorandum submitted to the central government, including expected expenditure and upcoming additional expenditure as per the criteria, has been placed before the High Court.

The aim of this misinformation is to undermine the state’s plans to rebuild Wayanad, denying disaster victims the help they deserve. The High Court order related to the Churalmala disaster clearly explains the issue, stating that the assessment prepared as per SDRF criteria is not the total amount spent or lost in the Churalmala disaster.

It has been clarified that this is a rough estimate of the amount reimbursable to Kerala under the Disaster Management Act prepared by the Central Government. A memorandum for disaster relief is prepared and submitted based on preliminary estimates and projected costs, including ongoing rescue operations, and not an estimate of the amount spent.

Key Points:

• Media reports on expenditure related to the Wayanad disaster are contrary to facts.
• The state government’s memorandum to the central government was misinterpreted by the media.
• The aim of this misinformation is to undermine the state’s plans to rebuild Wayanad.
• The High Court order related to the Churalmala disaster clarifies the issue.