Shortly after the Kerala government imposed a gag order prohibiting the scientific community from visiting the landslide zone in Wayanad and sharing their findings with the media, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Communist administration reversed the decision with “immediate effect.”
The government clarified that the intent behind the original gag order notification was not to prevent scientific institutions from conducting research or sharing their insights. Initially, the order requested that all Science and Technology institutions in Kerala refrain from field visits to Meppadi Panchayath in Wayanad, an area declared disaster-affected, and from communicating their observations or reports to the media.
Officials later explained that the notification’s purpose was to prevent potentially alarmist or misinterpreted statements from scientific institutions that could cause panic and confusion among the public. In the aftermath of such a severe disaster, the government emphasised the importance of focusing on rescue, recovery, and rehabilitation efforts without letting misinformation exacerbate the situation.
They acknowledged that the original notification failed to communicate this message, prompting its immediate withdrawal. Rescue operations continue in Wayanad, where the landslide has claimed over 300 lives.
Previously, the Communist government in Kerala issued an order on 1st August 2024 by Tinku Biswal, the state relief commissioner and principal secretary of Kerala State Disaster Management. The Principal Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology has been instructed to ensure that no scientific institutions undertake field visits to Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad, which is designated as a disaster zone.
The order also mandates that the scientific community refrain from sharing their opinions or study reports with the media. Any research in the disaster area must receive prior approval from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. The order stated, “You are requested to direct all science and technology institutions in the State of Kerala not to undertake any field visits to Meppadi panchayat, Wayanad, which is notified as a disaster-affected area. The scientific community shall be directed to restrain themselves from sharing their opinions and study reports with the media. If any study is to be undertaken in the disaster-affected area, prior permission shall be obtained from Kerala Disaster Management Authority.”
