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
Kerala Eateries To Be Regularly Inspected For Food Safety - Order By Kerala Human Rights Commission Schools In Kochi Replace Marks With Emojis: "Imagine The Added Excitement" PETA India Gifts Life-Size Mechanical Elephant To Kerala Temple Russia's Firing Of ICBM On Ukraine Is Weapon's 1st Combat Use In History Meet 69-Year-Old St Stephen's Alumnus Who Posed As Ex IPS To Con Officials Amazon Employee Dies On Stage While Handing Over Gift At Friend's Wedding UP Student Loses Money In Betting, Fakes Abduction For Ransom, Arrested Indian Professor Shot Dead In US, Family In UP Blames Business Rivalry There's a Pattern Behind Repeatedly Targeting Adani Group: Get the Connection Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.