Kerala Floods: CM Urges Centre For Additional Help, More Relief Material Arrives At Cochin Port

The Kerala government on Tuesday called for an all-party meeting at 4 PM to discuss the rehabilitation of people languishing in the relief camps. Sources in the chief minister's office said that the cabinet will focus mainly on preparing a memorandum to be submitted to the Central government for assistance. 

Briefing the media in Trivandrum, the Chief Minister said, "223 people lost their lives between August 8-20. Six people died on Monday. The Centre said they will make all necessary requirements available to us but in today's situation what is most needed is the necessary help, equivalent to the total damages caused so far."

The Cochin Port Trust has earmarked two godowns for free storage of relief materials, arriving from across the country, a port trust official said.

The  first truck carrying relief materials, mobilised by all major ports under the Union Shipping Ministry, was dispatched through the VOC Port Trust in Tuticorin and will be arriving at the port in Kochi on Tuesday, he said.

Four containers of relief materials sent by the shipping fraternity from Tuticorin under the initiative of the ministry was delivered for distribution yesterday, the official said.

More relief materials from different parts of India have started arriving at the Cochin port through coastal shipping.

After getting respite from rains after a week-long battering, rescue efforts were stepped up in Kerala as Army, Navy, Air Force, the Coast Guard, and disaster management agencies such as the NDRF rescued 43,000 people, as per the official figures. 

Also Read: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Urges Centre For Additional Help, Says Six More Lives Lost Today

According to the data, the state has received 264% of its average rainfall for August so far, the India Meteorological Department said on Sunday. Between August 1 and 19, the state received 758.6 mm of rainfall, against the average of 287.6 mm.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday declared Kerala floods of 'severe nature', and the Centre exempted basic customs duty and IGST on goods supplied for Kerala relief operations.

According to an ANI report, the train services which had collapsed following the incessant downpour in Kerala, have been partially restored. The train services in Kayankulam-Kottayam- Ernakulam and Palakkad-Shoranur-Kozhikkode sections have been resumed. Trivandrum- Ernakulam section was also connected by passenger Special Trains for the flood period. Few special trains were started via Trivandrum, Tirunelveli, and Madurai to Chennai, Egmore, Howarah, Gorakhpur, Bhubaneswar routes to evacuate stranded people.

On Tuesday, a team of around 100 doctors and paramedical staff from Maharashtra left for Kerala to help the flood-affected people.

As Kerala battles its worst floods in a century, the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) met for the fifth time in five days in Delhi on Monday to review the rescue and relief operations in the flood-affected areas in Kerala.

Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha chaired the meeting. The Chief Secretary of Kerala participated in the meeting via video conference. He informed that there has been less rainfall and floodwater has started receding.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has dispatched 100 MT of pulses yesterday. The Ministry of Health has airlifted 52 MT of emergency medicines. Another 20 MT of medicines has also reached Kerala. 20MT of bleaching powder and one crore Chlorine tablets will be dispatched by Tuesday. At least, 12 medical teams have also been put on standby and no outbreak of disease has also been reported so far.

The Ministry of Power has also extended help by moving power equipment like electricity meters, coils, transformers etc. to restore the distribution network. Power generation has reached 2600 MW and no difficulty is envisaged on this score.

The Department of Telecom has made operational 77000 towers out of total 85000 towers in the State. Out of 1407 telephone exchanges, except 13 all are made functional. DoT has operationalised a helpline with number 1948 to help trace missing persons.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has made available 12000 KL of Kerosene. Adequate arrangements have been made for distribution of LPG cylinders. Adequate aviation fuel is also made available.

With regard to cattle fodder, 450 MT has been dispatched. Two lots of veterinary medicines have also been dispatched.

The Indian Railways have offered to supply required amounts of water and also transport relief material free of cost. Adequate quantities of milk and other product were also made available by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

The NCMC meeting was attended by Secretaries of Central Ministries including Health, Telecom, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Power, Petroleum and Natural Gas, and senior officers of Defence Forces, Ministry of Home Affairs and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Various people and organisations across the world have come forward to help the rain-battered state in its hour of need. Thousands of personnel of Indian Navy, Air Force, Army, NDRF and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are engaged in the rescue and relief operations.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Centre exempts GST on Aid Materials

• The Kerala government called for an all-party meeting over flood situation in the state at 4 pm on Tuesday in Thiruvananthapuram as a million are displaced.

• The Madhya Pradesh Police donated Rs 1.31 crore to the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund.

• Indian Air Force airliftS medical team consisting of 96 doctors led by Medical Education Minister of Maharashtra Girish Mahajan from Mumbai to Trivandrum.

• ITBP personnel rapidly conducting rescue work in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts

• Restoration work is underway at the Chalakudy market in Thrissur district after decrease in water level in the district, ANI reported.

• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said that over one million people were sheltered in 3,274 relief camps in Kerala.

(With inputs from Agencies)