THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked the people to preserve the unity showed during the time of floods.
“Kerala’s unity in the rescue and relief activities during the floods was a model to the country and the world. Apart from the two floods, we could survive Ockhi and Nipah disasters with unity, thanks to the state’s cultural heritage,” he said after inaugurating a programme organised by the district panchayat and the District Planning Committee on Saturday to honour those who were active in flood relief activities.
The Chief Minister said the post-flood reconstruction activities were progressing well. As many as 8,000 of the total 16,058 houses destroyed in the 2018 floods were reconstructed. Works on 5,355 houses are progressing. The new houses are disaster-resilient, he added.
As much as Rs 1,557 crore was spent for the repair of three lakh houses that were partly damaged. Kudumbasree provided loans to those who lost livestock, he said. Deputy Speaker V Sasi, V S Sivakumar, MLA, Planning Board member K N Harilal and district panchayat vice-president Shailaja Begum spoke.