THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has urged the Centre to send a team to assess the total loss due to monsoon-related calamities. In a communication to Union Home minister Rajnath Singh, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the monsoon has wreaked havoc across the state for the past two months.
More than 27,000 people affected by floods, landslides and cyclones have been shifted to relief camps. It’s estimated that as many as 965 villages have been affected. So far, 103 deaths have been reported. Landslides have been reported from more than 40 regions. While 339 houses have been completely destroyed, more than 8,700 houses were partially damaged. Agriculture loss in an area of around 8,800 hectares has been reported.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts. In addition, the state has demanded two more NDRF units. Though the defence forces operating in the state are prepared to carry out disaster relief activities, they don’t have sufficient equipment and dinghy boats.
Taking this into consideration, boats and other equipment should be provided to defence units in Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuha, the government said. It also pointed at the need for the Air Force unit here to have at least one heavy-lift helicopter.
The CM also reminded about an earlier demand from the state to the Prime Minister for a `7,340 crore relief package for the protection of the 590-km coastal belt, put forth in the wake of cyclone Ockhi.
Though the memorandum was submitted in December 2017, the state hasn’t received any response so far.