Kerala Floods: Rahul Gandhi Assures To Resolve Problems In Wayanad

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday assured the flood-ravaged people of his Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency that he would strive to resolve the various issues plaguing them.

On day two of his four-day visit to the constituency, Gandhi was told by the local people that there were issues relating to connectivity in various remote areas where roads and bridges had been washed away or destroyed in the floods and landslides.

"We will work together to resolve these issues", he said. The issues being faced by farmers in Wayanad, the man-animal conflicts were complicated and they cannot be resolved with a magic wand, he said.

"My commitment is I will work with you to resolve the issues.. Our first priority is compensation to the flood-affected and we must pursue it", he said. It is the duty of the government to ensure compensation to those who had lost their near ones and loss of homes and property in the deluge, Gandhi said.

He assured that Congress workers would put pressure on the government to ensure that all those affected would be compensated. At the Chaligama tribal colony at Mananthavady, some people also wanted their loans to be written off. They also told Gandhi that wild animals, including elephants, were making their life difficult.

On Aug. 29 and 30, the Member of Parliament would be visiting relief camps in Kozhikode and Malappuram assembly segments, forming part of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. Gandhi was in Wayanad early this month after heavy rains and floods had triggered a series of landslides and caused havoc in the northern districts of Wayanad and Malappuram.

At least 125 people have lost their lives in the heavy rains and landslides. While 60 people have died in Malappuram, 14 have lost their lives in rain related incidents in neighbouring Wayanad district.