THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed all District Collectors to immediately distribute financial aid to those affected by heavy rain. He reviewed the losses in districts and relief measures via video conferencing on Saturday.
In addition to financial aid to the families of those who died in the disaster, the government will provide better relief measures to those whose houses were destroyed and those who had lost their crops, he said. Funds provided for reconstructing houses is not enough and the new amount will be decided at the cabinet meeting, he said.
The CM directed Collectors to find out whether people staying in relief camps are affected by diseases and if so to provide them with immediate medical attention. Those who are staying away from home should be dealt with compassion, he said, adding that relief camps should be kept clean and any disease outbreak should be prevented.
He urged the Collectors to utilise the services of doctors who are willing to serve in addition to local doctors. He also called upon them to ensure that the free ration for Adivasis are reaching their homes and also to be alert that the food provided in camps are of good quality.
Regarding power supply, the KSEB should intervene properly, and wherever generators are required, they should be provided, he said. Wherever wells have been polluted owing to floods, measures should be taken to provide clean drinking water. The Public Health Department should ensure that drinking water used by the public is clean. He also called upon the General Health Department to ensure that diseases are not spread.
Immediate measures should be taken to restore broken roads. The Wayanad-Thamarassery hairpin road should be restored at the earliest, he said. Collectors of Wayanad and Kozhikode have been asked to ensure that the maintenance work of the Kuttiadi Road is done soon.
Chief Secretary Paul Antony called upon the Collectors to open the shutters of dams in rain-affected areas in small measures. Revenue Minister E Chandrasekaran joined the video conference meeting from Kasargod, while Transport Minister A K Saseendran and Labour Minister T P Ramakrishnan joined from Kozhikode. Additional chief secretary (revenue) P H Kurien joined from Kottayam.
Additional chief secretary (home) Subroto Biswas, Chief Minister’s private secretary M V Jayarajan, secretary M Sivasankar, fire force director A Hemachandran, south zone ADGP Anil Kant, disaster relief committee member Shekhar Kuriakose and Collectors of Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, Kottayam, Alappuzha and Idukki attended the meeting.
What the CM wants
CM asks Collectors to find out whether people staying in relief camps are affected by diseases and if so to provide them with immediate medical attention
He called upon them to ensure that the free ration for Adivasis are reaching their homes and also to be alert that the food provided in camps are of good quality