Kerala govt denies reports regarding misuse of Wayanad disaster relief funds

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], September 17 (ANI): Kerala government has denied reports circulating in the media regarding the funds spent in connection with the Wayanad disaster, calling it factually incorrect, per an official release from Kerala CMO.

The release said that the state government had submitted a memorandum to the central government seeking immediate additional assistance for the disaster. Preliminary estimates of the necessary expenses for various aspects were clearly stated in the memorandum. However, these estimates are now being misrepresented in the media as actual expenditure in the disaster-affected areas, which is untrue, the release added.

The figures in the memorandum, prepared according to the guidelines of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), have been misinterpreted, which undermines the state government’s efforts to secure central assistance for the Wayanad landslide disaster, the release said.

The claims of expenses reported by the media are misleading and against the interests of the state. The government urges the media to correct these inaccurate reports, the release added.

This comes after Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief K Surendran accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government of presenting inflated relief expenditures to the High Court in connection with the Wayanad landslides.

In a post on X, Surendran alleged that the state government had exploited the tragedy for its own benefit.

“The inflated relief spending presented by the state disaster management authority in the Kerala High Court for the Wayanad landslides reeks of corruption and misappropriation. The Pinarayi Vijayan government has shamelessly turned this disaster into a corrupt money-grabbing scheme,” he said.

“While the people of Kerala selflessly rallied to help the Wayanad landslide victims, the CPM-led LDF government focused on how to exploit the tragedy for its own gain. The entire state now sees their inhumane, greed-driven agenda,” the BJP leader added.

A series of landslides in Wayanad were triggered by torrential rainfall that killed hundreds of people in the state. The landslides had occured in Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Chooralmala, and Vellarimala villages in Meppadi panchayat, Vythiri taluk in Wayanad district.