Even as the death toll in the Malin landslide shot up to 130 on Monday, environmentalist Medha Patkar launched a broadside against Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar over the controversial Lavasa project.
The NCP chief had stated that there was scope for 26 projects along the lines of Lavasa lake city to draw tourists to Maharashtra. Ms. Patkar said “these would culminate in 26 Malin-like tragedies.”
Stating that there was no correlation between Lavasa and Malin, she emphasised that any project which flagrantly violated environmental norms would result in colossal human tragedies. “Malin is a testimony to this fact,” Ms. Patkar said.
30 bodies not yet retrieved Around 30 bodies are yet to be extricated from the sea of mud and debris which engulfs Malin village, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel said on Monday, visibly tired after six days of operations.
So far 130 bodies — 50 men, 61 women and 19 children — have been recovered. The rotting carcasses of livestock were also recovered from the debris.
Since Sunday, the district administration, acting on suggestions from the Geological Survey of India (GSI), has put notices on 16 surviving houses in Malin village, urging residents to vacate immediately, stating that the risk of another landslide was too high. Forty-four homes in the village had been levelled by the rock fall.
