Wayanad (Keralam) [India], July 25 (ANI): Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday visited the Meenakshi Bridge site at Kalladi in Meppadi, where a landslide occurred on July 7 at a tunnel construction site.

The landslide near the tunnel construction site in Kalladi, under Meppadi Grama Panchayat, buried a large section of the worksite under an estimated 7 to 10 feet of debris.

During her visit, Gandhi said immediate temporary measures should be taken to prevent the debris and mud at the site from causing further problems, while permanent measures could be taken after the ongoing inquiry is completed.

'I came to see the site, and I was discussing that while this inquiry is going on and all that is being done, 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 slowly... I mean, as soon as the inquiry and all that is over,' she told reporters.

Gandhi also criticised the Centre, alleging political bias in the distribution of assistance and saying that states should try to do whatever they can on their own.

'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 incident, the Keralam government announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) for the dependents of those who lost their lives in the Kalladi Tunnel Phase-3 landslide.

Financial assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh was also sanctioned for injured persons, depending on the nature of their injuries.

The state government has also constituted an expert committee to investigate the cause of the landslide, including possible violations of contractual conditions, the circumstances leading to the incident, and compliance with environmental and forest clearance norms.

According to the government, tunnel construction work will resume only after the committee submits its report. (ANI)