Thiruvananthapuram/Kalpetta: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to reach Wayanad today to assess the landslide damage, the district is hopeful that the visit will lead to comprehensive rehabilitation of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala region. The State is relying on the Center's efforts to support rehabilitation. Many challenges remain, including rehabilitation of disaster victims and search for sustainable livelihoods.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to land at Kannur International Airport at 11:05 am and then travel to Wayanad by helicopter.He will conduct an aerial survey of the disaster areas until 12:10 pm, followed by a visit to affected sites starting at 12:15 pm. During his visit, he will meet with people at relief camps and hospitals. Afterward, he will attend a review meeting at the Wayanad Collectorate.

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The Prime Minister is expected to return to Kannur at 3:15 pm and will then fly back to Delhi at 3:55 pm. Wayanad Collector DR Meghashree has announced that there will be no search operations in the disaster-affected areas today due to the restrictions imposed for the Prime Minister's visit. She also stated that volunteers and others involved in the search operations will not be permitted to enter these areas; however, public search efforts will resume on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the cabinet sub-committee of the Kerala government met with a central team visiting the area and sought Rs 2,000 crore in assistance for rehabilitation and relief work in the disaster-stricken region. The central team, led by Rajeev Kumar, who is a joint secretary with the Ministry of Home Affairs, visited the disaster-hit region and interacted with the survivors. The inter-ministerial central team said the impact of the Wayanad landslide is huge and a detailed study is required.

The State government, in a release, said it has informed the central team that the Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Punchiri Mattam regions of Wayanad have suffered major losses both in residential areas and in the agricultural sector. Rs 2,000 crore is required for rehabilitation purposes alone, the State government said.