Centre, Opposition Spar over Disaster Management Bill: Is Politics Interfering with Climate Justice?

The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was passed on December 12 in Lok Sabha amid strong criticism from the Opposition.

The Bill aims to strengthen national and state disaster management authorities, besides promoting convergence among stakeholders working in the field of disaster management. Various Opposition members raised concerns regarding the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, stating that it only refers to a select number of organisations, while passing over several other key stakeholders.

While debating the Bill in Lok Sabha, Saugata Roy of Trinamool Congress (TMC) launched a scathing attack against the Modi government, calling into question India's Covid management strategies under PM Modi. Roy also voiced his concerns regarding the use of to specific terms in the Bill. For instance, he said that the Bill has added a number of "English terms" while failing to mention key terms such as “climate change” or "compensation". The term "compensation", said Roy, has been replaced by "relief".

Samajwadi Party MP Chhotelal Kharwar said the Bill needs improvement as it falls short of addressing the concerns of the common man. RJD MP Sudhakar Singh also protested, blaming the government for showing apathy towards victims of natural disasters.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor pulled up the Centre over its efforts to support the survivors of the 2024 Wayanad landslide, which reportedly claimed more than 400 lives. Slamming Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, Tharoor said, "Listening to MoS Nityanand Rai's reply to the debate on the Disaster Management Bill. His refusal to explain why, four months after the visit of the inter-ministerial team to Wayanad, there has been no report or action taken by the Central Government, is inexplicable. The people deserve better."

"The Minister says that we can never 'prevent' natural disasters, we can only 'prepare' for them. This fails to contend with our critique that Government of India needs to add to the notified list of disasters to better grapple with climate change-induced natural calamities like coastal erosion and heatwaves," he added.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, however, also encouraged Opposition leaders to cooperate with the Modi government and work towards collective action.

"If we take adequate measures to reverse environmental degradation by drawing them into the ambit of disaster management, then such disasters as the Wayanad landslides may not have been as devastating, the root causes having been tackled, and people relocated from the danger area in time," the MP from Thiruvanathapuram said on X.

Read More: Tharoor Slams MoS Home over Wayanad Relief Measures, Asks Why No Action Taken by Centre

The Disaster Management Act, 2005, is a law passed by the Indian government to enable effective disaster management practices in India. The Act aims to establish a well-defined framework for disaster management, including natural disasters, man-made disasters and other emergencies. The Act has been invoked several times in the past including during the Covid-19 pandemic to facilitate a coordinated and effective response during a period of crisis.

Wayanad Landslide: Politics Interfering with Justice?

In November 2024, the Centre informed the Kerala government that the landslides and flash floods that occurred in Wayanad on July 30, 2024, cannot be declared a "national disaster". In light of the largescale destruction it caused in the coastal state, Kerala has been requesting the Centre to classify the 2024 Wayanad landslide as a national disaster, seeking Central assistance in the rehabilitation of those affected by the tragedy in the region.

Earlier in November, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai wrote a letter to former Union minister KV Thomas (Congress). In the letter, Rai explained that under the existing guidelines of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), there is no provision to declare the calamity as a "national disaster".

In August 2024, the Kerala government had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting the declaration of the landslides and flash floods as a national disaster and sought a Rs 2,000-crore relief package from the Centre.

As per a Business Standard report, the death toll from the Wayanad landslides had crossed 400 by August 2024, with more than 150 people still missing. The state's agriculture department claimed that 310 hectares of farmland in the Chooralmala, Attamala and Mundakkai regions had been devastated. Damages include 50 hectares of cardamom, 100 hectares of coffee, 70 hectares of pepper, 55 hectares of tea, 10 hectares of coconut, 15 hectares of arecanut and 10 hectares of banana plantations, said the Kerala government.

In the early hours of July 30, 2024, the villages of Chooralmala and Mundakkai in the Wayanad district were struck by devastating landslides triggered by torrential downpours.

State and national authorities launched a massive rescue operation for survivors. The rescue mission involved the Indian Army, NDRF, Fire and Rescue Services, Forest and Wildlife authorities, and the police, along with hundreds of volunteers.

In December, responding to Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's request for central assistance, Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted that the Kerala government had taken over three months to submit the necessary documentation following the landslides, as per a report by The Hindu. As per the report, the Centre has released Rs 145.60 crore in July and another Rs 145.60 crore in October 2024. Additionally, the SDRF holds Rs 782.99 crore for ongoing relief operations.

The report further said that a sum of Rs 153.47 crore was approved in November for rescue operations and debris clearance, after an inter-ministerial central team (IMCT) visited the affected areas in August 2024. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has criticised the Kerala government for hindering the process of relief assistance by delaying the submission of the formal memorandum.

The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, was tabled for consideration in August and passed on December 12 by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in Lok Sabha.