Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed Chief Secretary V Venu to withdraw a controversial note issued by the State Disaster Management Authority, which restrained science and technology institutions in the state from sharing their opinions and study reports with the media regarding the recent deadly landslides in Wayanad.
In a statement on Thursday night, Vijayan said the news that the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) had directed scientific institutions and scientists not to visit the disaster-affected Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad and not to express their opinions was misleading.
"The state government does not have such a policy," the Chief Minister said.
"The Chief Secretary has been directed to immediately intervene and withdraw the communication that conveyed such a message," he said.
Earlier, the scientific community had strongly protested against the note prepared by State Relief Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, Tinku Biswal, which directed all science and technology institutions in the state not to undertake any field visits to Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad, where several people were killed in the devastating landslides on Tuesday.
The note had said that the scientific community should restrain themselves from sharing their opinions and study reports with the media.
It also stated that prior permission from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority was required to undertake any studies in the disaster-affected area.
The massive landslides hit Kerala's Wayanad district on Tuesday morning, killing at least 190 people and injuring many.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Landslides, Waterlogging In Uttarakhand After Heavy Overnight Rain
295 Dead In Kerala Landslides, 40 Rescue Teams Resume Search Ops Kerala Restricts Scientific Community From Sharing Reports On Wayanad With Media India May Record Above-Normal Rainfall In August, September: Weather Office Explained: Women's Boxing Match At Paris Olympics Sparks Gender Row Death Awaited Hamas Chief For 2 Months In A Posh Tehran Locality Woman Claims Man Raped Her From "1987 To 2017". Why Court Cancelled Case UP Government Scraps Rs 5 Lakh Fine For Leaving Medical Education Midway 10 Adverse Effects Of Using AC Continuously "20,000 Crore Losses": Raghav Chadha Wants Action Against Digital Piracy Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.