Many states have announced immediate financial help for flood-hit Kerala as more than 2,11,000 people in 14 districts have been badly hit by the rains and floods, and over 32,500 hectares of crops damaged.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday announced immediate financial help of Rs 25 crore for Kerala. Rao instructed chief secretary SK.Joshi to send the amount to Kerala immediately.
He also instructed the officials concerned that in view of water getting polluted due to floods, Rs 2.50 crore worth R.O. machines should be dispatched to Kerala. The chief minister urged the Telangana people to help in the rescue operations.
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The chief minister further expressed deep sorrow on the natural calamity that has taken place in Kerala due to which there is loss of life and property.
Besides him, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal have also given Rs 10 crore each for the relief works in Kerala.
The chief ministers also extended their moral support to the flood victims and wished normalcy be established soon in Kerala.
Kerala has been witnessing incessant rainfall over the last few days, causing unprecedented flooding and landslides in several parts of the state. So far, 324 people have lost their lives in the state due to flood, according to a tweet by the Chief Minister Office (CMO) of Kerala.
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The rescue operations have also been stepped up in the state to evacuate people from the flood-affected area.
The Women and Child Development Ministry is coordinating with the Air Force and Kerala government to deliver 100 metric tonnes of ready-to-eat food packets to the flood-affected children in the state, Union minister Maneka Gandhi said on Friday.
"To aid distressed children stuck in this massive calamity, I have arranged 100 MT of ready-to-eat food. Have also assured the state government for more supplies," Gandhi said in a tweet.
"Deeply anguished by the critical condition of Kerala. I have asked my team to extend full support to the Government of Kerala in rescue and relief operations," she said.
She added that her ministry is in touch with the Air Force to get the food packets delivered as soon as possible.
The Indian Railways has also extended a helping hand to Kerala by supplying bottled water to flood-affected people.
Around 2740 cartons were dispatched from Parassala's Rail Neer plant earlier today, while six trucks loaded with drinking water have already been pressed into service.
In a similar move, the Southern Railways has dispatched seven BRN Wagons, carrying 2.8 lakh litres of water, from the Erode Junction on Friday afternoon.
Apart from this, the Railway has made necessary arrangements in case of emergency situations in the state. A loading of 10,000 cubic boxes of water bottles is under progress to be sent in the state.
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The officials of Kerala state government directed the senior divisional commercial manager in Palakkad to coordinate further dispatch of drinking water for those affected
Meanwhile, the Odisha government requested Kerala to provide assistance including food and drinking water to 130 people from the eastern Indian state stranded at Odapally in Kerala, official sources said.
The Odisha government's action came soon after it received an alert from one Anil Sethi, a labourer, who informed around 130 people from Odisha who have taken shelter in a house at Aluva Munnar Road, Odapally, near Asha Munnar Post Office. Sethi said they were not able to get food and drinking water.
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"I would, therefore, request you to kindly make necessary arrangement for providing support in terms of food, drinking water and other necessities to the flood affected people from Odisha." the state's special relief commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi wrote in a letter to P H Kurian, additional chief secretary, disaster management, Kerala.
The Odisha government also set up a helpline in the special relief commissioner's office here to help the people in distress.
Any person from Odisha who has been affected may call up the helpline numbers 1070 (toll free) and 0674-2534177, an official release said.
(Agencies)
