THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said more armed forces personnel will be deployed for flood relief and rescue operations. Pinarayi said the floods had claimed 65 lives until now - the total number of dead in the rain-related incidents since the monsoon’s onset on May 29 stands at 256 - he told reporters here.
He said all villages in the state are under the threat of inundation and it is for the first time the state has encountered devastation on such a scale. The CM sought to assure the public the government is doing everything within its powers and rescue teams have been deployed in the affected areas.
According to him, the situation remains grim and that he had indeed spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and apprised them of the grave crisis. The Centre is fully cooperating with the state in this hour of crisis and the Army, IAF, Navy, NDRF, Coast Guard and the Fire Force along with the state police have mounted joint rescue and relief operatons, Pinarayi said.
Following the Centre’s intervention, Army special forces are to be deployed. Presently there are 10 IAF helicopters and 10 more IAF helicopters will reach the state, Pinarayi Vijayan said. Currently, there are 12 Army helicopters, 10 from the IAF, five from the Navy, three from the ICG and the NDRF. He said 52 rescue teams are on the ground.
The Chief Minister said the Chief Secretary had a videoconference meeting with the Union Cabinet Secretary and based on this 40 more teams from NDRF will reach the state soon. Two hundred life boats and 250 life jackets will be provided and more life jackets may be needed, he said.
The KSEB has 51 dams and the Kerala Water Authority 21 dams, all of which are full. He said the Periyar is on the rise and people living on the banks of the river and in Chalakkudy should be more careful. He urged those within a one km- radius of the Periyar’s banks to move to safer areas and follow the directions from authorities. All boats will be pressed into service for relief operations. He said two ICG vessels are engaged in the rescue operations now and five more will be deployed soon.
To regulate the rise in the water level caused by the discharge from the Mullaperiyar dam, a committee headed by the Central Water Commission chairman which includes officers from both Kerala and Tamil Nadu as members has been set up.
‘Army cannot be given full control’
T’puram: In response to a question posed to the Chief Minister during his press briefing, that the Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has called for giving total control of rescue operations to the Army, Pinarayi Vijayan said, “Army is supporting and helping in all the rescue operations, but giving full control to the Army is something unheard of. This demand does not deserve an answer.”
Cabinet sec chairs high-level meet
T’Puram : Cabinet secretary P K Sinha on Monday chaired a high-level meeting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions. This is to render more help for the state in rescue and relief operations following heavy rain and floods. Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and NDRF have been asked to mobilise additional manpower, boats and helicopters to scale up the rescue and relief operations. Food packets and potable water will also be supplied. The chairman of Central Water Commission will be monitoring the situation of the Mullaperiyar dam in view of rising water level and continued heavy inflow. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said in a press conference on Monday that the Chief Secretary had a video conference with the Cabinet secretary.