New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for developing a long-term strategy to protect life & livelihood of people in Wayanad district. In his letter to PM Modi, Rahul, who represents the Wayanad seat jn the Lok Sabha, sought assistance of the Central government in tackling the flood situation in Wayanad, one of the severely affected areas in the state hit by torrential rainfall and landslides. He also sought to draw attention of the Centre the crises in the farming sector that had led to several farmer suicides in the state of Kerala.
"I would like to highlight the twin crises, one that affects the life and livelihood of people in Wayanad and second, the critical status of the ecology in an area that is known as a global hotspot for biodiversity with the potential to contribute to carbon sequestration benefiting the country as a whole,"Rahul wrote in his letter to the PM. ''''Agriculture and paddy cultivation are the mainstay of the people in Wayanad. However, paddy cultivation , that has sustained wetlands and gas the capacity to hold excess rainwater and mitigate flood damage, has been steadily declining since the 1979s.
A large number of farmers have committed suicide in the last two decades due to crisis in the farm sector. The destruction of forests and the depletion of inflow into the streams and rivers endanger farms and population in three states ? Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Mining and quarrying continues in the Western ghats. The depletion if forests is increasing conflicts between animals and people living within and in periphry of the forests," he wrote. In this context, he urged the Prime Minister to develop a long-term strategy to protect the life and livelihood of people in the district. ''''In this context, I suggest that a long -term strategy and action plan to protect both the life and livelihood of people and environment of Astana be taken up on priority, ''''Rahul said.
The Congress leader earlier on Tuesday visited relief camps at Kotakkal in Nilambur, Mambad, Edavannapara and the landslide site of Kavalappara in Malappuram district. The Congress leader had visited flood-hit areas including worst-hit Puthumala in Wayanad district and Kavalappara near Nilambur in Malappuram district.
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