WEDNESDAY 31 JULY, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard BANGLADESH JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI MAY BE BANNED The government on Tuesday decided to ban the largest Islamist party following students’ protests over quotas in government jobs. PAGE 9 680 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  670 MULTIPURPOSE CO-OP SOCIETIES PLUS 10 DIST COOPERATIVE BANKS IN U’KHAND PAGES 12 125 KILLED IN LANDSLIDES OVER 90 STILL MISSING AFTER TWO PRE-DAWN LANDSLIPS IN KERALA’S WAYANAD DISTRICT NDRF, ARMY AND AIR FORCE CALLED IN OVER 480 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RESCUED KERALA DECLARES TWO-DAY STATE MOURNING Horror story 1 Wayanad dist has been experiencing torrential rain for past three days, with rivers in spate and low-lying areas inundated 2 A baby being rescued by NDRF personnel from Mundakkai in Wayanad district of Kerala on Tuesday | E GOKUL IN possibly the worst natural calamity that has ever hit Kerala, two massive landslides within a span of two-and-a-half hours devoured Chooralmala and Mundakkai in Wayanad district, leaving at least 125 dead and nearly 90 missing, in the wee hours of Tuesday As . many as 481 people have been rescued. Of them, 113 are under treatment. So far, 48 bodies have been identified. The torrent was so strong that several bodies were recovered from Pothukal in Malappuram, 10 km from the epicentre of the landslide. Most of the victims were washed away in sleep as the landslides occurred at 1.30 am and 4 am. Huge boulders and uprooted trees gushed downwards to Chooralmala from Mundakkai, causing severe damage. The heavy surge of water from the hilltop changed the nature of the tiny Iru- vazhinji river, submerging everything on its both banks. Several houses were destroyed, a temple and a mosque were submerged, and a school building was severely damaged. Heavy rains and the presence of mud, huge pieces of rocks and trees made rescue operations difficult. Scores of earthmovers were brought in to remove the mud and rocks. Bodies were taken out of the mud with great difficulty. Around 250 people were stranded at Mundakkai as the bridge that connected the area was washed away Rescue work. ers tried to reach them using the ropeway but the exercise was time-consuming. Possibility of another landslide also slowed down rescue operations. They were finally rescued on Tuesday evening after the Army constructed a make-shift bridge across the river. Personnel from 122 Infantry Battalion of Territorial Army of the Madras Regiment, Na- MODI DIALS PINARAYI, OFFERS ALL SUPPORT DEAFENING SOUND NUMBS SURVIVOR NGT TAKES NOTE, PUTS KERALA ON NOTICE STALIN ANNOUNCES `5-CR AID FOR KERALA Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and offered all possible help from the Centre to the state. He also announced a financial support of `2 lakh from the PM’s relief fund to the next of kin of the deceased and `50,000 for the injured Farmer Siju Chacko Adimaril and his family in Chooralmala are yet to recover from the trauma. “The sound we heard around 2am on Tuesday was deafening. It was many times higher than the blast we hear from quarries,” said Siju, one of the few who have survived the fury. P5 The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal on Tuesday decided to take up a suo-motu hearing into the Wayanad landslides. The bench directed the Kerala counsel to collect data on trigger points like roads, buildings and quarries in and around the affected villages Chennai/Coimbatore: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin on Tuesday announced `5-crore aid and deployed rescue teams to assist in the relief efforts in Kerala. He also condoled the death of a labourer from Nilgiris, K Kalidass, who died in one of the landslides in Wayanad EX PRESS N EWS SERVICE @ Kalpetta Chief secy blames coaching centre, govt calls out ‘delay’ in probe report submission A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi THE Delhi chief secretary on Tuesday submitted a magisterial inquiry report to Revenue Minister Atishi in the Old Rajinder Nagar coaching centre deaths. The report said the coaching institute completely blocked the drainage system and did not take measures to meet such eventualities. Atishi, however, said she had asked the chief secretary to initiate a magisterial probe and submit a report within 24 hours. But what she received was an incident report on Monday . The minister was told that the inquiry would take seven more days. “It is unfortunate that the bureaucracy is showing laxity in the investigation. It raises questions whether the culprits are being protected,” said the minister. “The parking access to the institute is directly exposed to the road and in case of a heavy rain, water flows directly into the parking area instead of going into the stormwater drain,” the report said. “In the absence of vigil by security staff, the water crossed the parking area and entered the basement, resulting in the death of three bright children,” said the report. It said the violation by the owner for using the basement for other than storage purposes led to the incident. It was evident from the local residents’ version that the basement gate worked with a biometric/access control lock system and the students could not come out quickly P3 . tional Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from different parts of Kerala, Indian Air Force from Coimbatore and Fire and Rescue and police took part in the rescue operations that was temporarily halted in the night due to bad weather. Four relief camps have been opened to shift the survivors. The injured have been admitted to various hospitals in Wayanad. Bodies of the victims are kept at the Community Health Centre in Meppadi and WIMS Hospital. A special team of forensic doctors from Kozhikode has reached Wayanad to expedite the post-mortem of recovered bodies. DNA tests will be conducted on unidentified bodies. A police official said 32 bodies and several body parts were recovered from the banks of Chaliyar in Malappuram. Ke r a l a C h i e f M i n i s t e r Pinarayi Vijayan said that all possible efforts would be taken to rescue the stranded people and to recover bodies from the debris. P5 MAPPING TRAGEDY Epicentre of the landslides got 572 mm rainfall in 48 hrs KERALA Wayanad LANDSLIDE ORIGIN MUNDAKKAI CHOORALMALA MPs unite on rushing help to Kerala govt PREETHA NAIR & RAJESH KUMAR T H A K U R @ New Delhi LEADER of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who is also former MP from Wayanad, urged the Centre to extend all support to those affected by the massive landslides in Wayanad. Rahul was supposed to be in Wayanad along his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday. However, bad weather forced them to defer their visit. “Due to adverse weather conditions, we have been informed that we will not be able to land. I want to assure the people of Wayanad that we will visit soon,” Rahul posted on ‘X’. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide all assistance,” Rahul said. In the Rajya Sabha, MPs cutting across party lines expressed concern over the landslide deaths. Leader of the House and Health Minister JP Nadda promised all assistance to the Kerala government. “The Centre, in coordination with the state government, is pro-actively working to provide relief and carry out rescue operations,” Nadda said, adding that the government was open to any suggestion from MPs. Around 1.30 am on Tuesday, massive landslide occurs at Mundakkai in Meppadi grama panchayat. Gushing waters and debris sweep away the entire village FINANCE Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asserted on Tuesday that no state was being deprived of funds. She noted that Budgets presented by the UPA government also did not include the names of all states in Budget speeches. She was responding to Opposition criticism during a discussion in the Lok Sabha. “In a Budget speech, if a state is not named, it doesn’t mean no money will go to them,” Sitharaman stated in the backdrop against Opposition remarks that the BJP-led NDA government supported only its allies JD (U) in Bihar and TDP in Andhra Pradesh. She termed it as a “misleading campaign.” “I have been picking up Budget speeches since 20042005. The Budget did not take the name of 17 states. Did money not go to those 17 states,” Sitharaman asked. Later, the Lok Sabha approved the `48.21-lakh crore Budget. Sitharaman said that India is the fastest-growing economy globally and has successfully n av i g a t e d t h e C o v i d - 1 9 challenges, thanks to significant initiatives. Mocking the UPA, Sitharaman said leaders educated at prestigious institutions like Harvard and Oxford were in charge during the UPA government but failed to recognise the right time to withdraw stimulus measures, resulting in high inflation from 2009 to 2013. In contrast, she stated that inflation under the NDA government has not been as severely impacted by Covid-19. Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi said that India is set to become the world’s third-largest economy during his third term. His remarks came at the inaugural session of ‘Journey towards Viksit Bharat: A Post Union Budget 2024-25 conference,’ held at Vigyan Bhawan. The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government’s decision aims to empower women and grow their participation in cooperative sector | P8 HER-STORY Manu pens Paris epic T HERE was a time, not too long ago, when India would start holding its breath right after the opening ceremony, wondering when that elusive Olympic medal would come. When it came, it would spark wild celebrations. Indeed, until 2008, only once in the history of independent India had its Olympians come home with more than a single medal. If anyone needs any more evidence that those times are long past, then just look at Manu Bhaker. Most athletes spend years training, hoping and praying for an Olympic medal. A TMS @ OLYMPICS select few get their wish. There’s a more exclusive Indian club; athletes who win multiple Olympic medals across their career. With two INDRANEEL DAS medals in three days, Manu has founded anPARIS other club — first from Independent India to win multiple medals in a single Olympics. Unless one extends the definition of being an Indian to include Norman Pritchard who competed under the flag of British India in 1900, Manu is in a league of her own. For a nation that won only two medals in Rio in 2016, Manu’s achievement transcends reality and borders fantasy “The . feeling is still surreal. I did not think I would be winning two medals in one Olympics,” said Manu after winning the bronze medal with Sarabjot Singh in the mixed MORE ON P11 10m air pistol event. 3 Another landslide at 4 am (trigger spot yet to be ascertained) diverts River Iruvazhinji, resulting in flash floods washing away Chooralmala village, 3 km away. Bridge connecting Chooralmala destroyed, stranding hundreds 4 Debris flow through Soochippara and merge with River Chaliyar. 32 bodies recovered from the neighbouring Malappuram No state deprived of funds, says FM in LS M O N I K A YA D A V @ New Delhi U’KHAND RESERVES 33% SEATS FOR WOMEN IN COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES Manu Bhaker (L) and Sarabjot Singh won bronze in mixed 10m air pistol event on Tuesday | EXPRESS Cong high command pulls up Siddu, DKS over ‘scams’ in K’taka E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bengaluru Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman replies to the debate on the Budget in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday | PTI Comparing NDA, UPA inflation rates “Inflation during NDA-I stood at 4.5%, NDA-II at 5.7% and both combined 5.1%, which is way less than 8% during UPA,” Sitharaman said. She added that the Modi government also reduced fuel prices twice, introduced Bharat brand atta, rice and pulses ‘Trying to reduce fiscal deficit’ The government aims to reduce the deficit below 4.5% by 2025-26, down from the current target of 4.9% for this fiscal, the finance minister said. The Centre has allocated `1.48 lakh crore to education, employment, and skilling sectors. THE Congress high command on Tuesday pulled up Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar over the recent political developments that caused a huge embarrassment to the party . AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge met Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar along with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party leaders K C Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala at his residence in New Delhi. During the meeting, Kharge is said to have expressed displeasure over the alleged scams in the state. He also reviewed a report by a threemember committee headed by Congress general secretary Madusudan Mistry on the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls in the state. For his part, Siddaramaiah said that he explained to the high command that the Opposition had targeted him and his cabinet ministers though they have no role in the alleged scam in the ST Development Corporation and irregularities in allotment of sites by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Sources said that Rahul Gandhi and Kharge also discussed various issues faced by the ruling party in Karnataka.