Kerala floods one month after: Central team to assess flood damage from Friday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  The Central delegation to assess the damage to the state due to floods and submit a report before the Union government, will begin its visit to flood-affected areas on Friday. The 11-member team, led by Home Ministry’s Special Secretary B R Sharma, will visit all 12 affected districts in the state till September 24. On Monday, the delegation will hold talks with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who’s expected to be back in the state by then.

The delegation will divide into four teams. The team led by B R Sharma and consisting of B Rajendar, joint secretary, agriculture corporation and farmers welfare department and power department chief engineer Vandana Singal will visit Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam. The second team under Niti Aayog adviser Yogesh Suri with transport, road, highway regional officer Thiruvananthapuram V V Sasthri and drinking water department additional adviser Dinesh Chand will go to Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram. 

Home Ministry joint secretary A V Dharma Reddy and rural development director Dharamveer Jha will be part of the third team which will visit Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts. The fourth team led by finance ministry adviser Ashu Mathur with water resources commissioner T S Mehra and National Disaster Management Authority joint secretary Anil Kumar Sangi, will be in charge of assessing the damage in Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kollam districts. 

Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) P H Kurian, in addition to District Collectors and IMTC nodal officer Sekhar Kuriakose will brief the Central delegation on the calamity.During the floods, a couple of Central delegations had visited the state to assess the damage.