The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti (WPSS) has urged the government and the public to adopt an environmentally sustainable development model in ecologically fragile regions such as Wayanad.

At a meeting held to commemorate the victims of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide disaster on Thursday, the WPSS noted that the recurring landslides across the Western Ghats were nature’s response to unchecked and unscientific developments.

It said that large-scale quarrying, unscientific land use changes, tourism projects, and major infrastructure works had weakened the fragile ecosystem of Wayanad and contributed to repeated disasters. The WPSS reiterated its opposition to the Wayanad twin tunnel project, alleging that it was driven by commercial interests, including the extraction of valuable rock.

The Samiti said many survivors of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala disaster were still awaiting proper rehabilitation and adequate compensation for lost property and businesses, terming rehabilitation as a right rather than a government concession.

WPSS president N. Badusha presided.