The Kerala government has constituted an Expert Committee to inquire into the reasons behind the July 7 landslide at Kalladi, near Meppadi in Wayanad district. They have been asked to submit a report within one month.
A government order issued by the Disaster Management Department said the committee will examine the causes of the "Kalladi Phase 3 debris collapse mishap."
The five-member panel includes geologist Dr CP Rajendran, ecologist Dr Vishnudas CK, Chief Wildlife Warden Dr P Pugazhendi, Secretary of the Public Works Department, and Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, who will serve as convener.
The committee has been tasked with identifying the causes of the mishap. It will also investigate whether the contractor Dilip Buildcon Ltd violated contract conditions, and will also examine the Environmental Clearance granted by the state government and the Union government along with the Forest Clearance granted by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
The convenor can co-opt experts as members if necessary
Separately, Kerala has appointed a three-member expert committee to submit a report on the safe removal of soil accumulated during construction of the Wayanad Kalladi twin tunnel project. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting attended by Chief Minister VD Satheesan, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, and Public Works Minister P K Basheer.
This committee comprises Dr Santhosh G Thampi (Professor, NIT Calicut), Dr Jude Emmanuel (Environmental Scientist, Directorate of Environment and Climate Change), and a representative from the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), Thiruvananthapuram.
The committee will visit the site and guide the District Disaster Management Authority in the safe removal of the debris to disposal sites identified by the Public Works Department.