Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday used the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha to press the Central government for significant relief measures for her parliamentary constituency of Wayanad, which was devastated by floods and landslides. She specifically called for the waiver of loans for victims and expressed strong disappointment over what she termed the 'lack' of sufficient central assistance in the arduous task of rebuilding lives.
During her address, Vadra painted a grim picture of the catastrophic impact on the Kerala district. She highlighted that "hundreds of people lost their lives, 17 families were wiped out, and more than 1,600 buildings were destroyed" in the natural calamities. With "hundreds of acres of land... destroyed," including crucial "coffee plantations, tea plantations, [and] cardamom," the extent of the devastation also reached the agricultural sector. She highlighted the significant impact on people whose entire livelihoods were destroyed, going beyond direct losses to property and agriculture. She mentioned "auto drivers, jeep drivers, people who run home stays and do small businesses."
A year after the disaster, Vadra lamented the slow pace and inadequacy of rehabilitation efforts. She stated, "For one year, we've been requesting the release of funds for Wayanad." While acknowledging that "some funds were released," she stressed their insufficiency and, crucially, that these funds were provided "as loans, which is unprecedented." She questioned the rationale behind such a policy: "People have lost their lives and entire livelihoods, and we expect them to repay loans while rebuilding their lives?"
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Vadra also reminded the House of the initial plea to declare the landslides and floods a national disaster, a request that was not immediately granted. Although the situation was eventually designated as a "disaster of a severe nature," she argued that this classification had not translated into adequate relief. "However, this hasn't been enough as the victims' families are still struggling one year later," she asserted.
Concluding her impassioned plea, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made a "honest and heartfelt request on behalf of the people of Wayanad" for the central government to "consider waiving these loans." She underscored that the amount, though significant to the struggling victims, would be "a small amount for the Centre."
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