Page 551 - Disaster Accident
LS Speaker's secretariat to donate a day's salary for Kerala
After Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, now the employees of her secretariat have pledged to donate their one day's salary to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund to assist rehabilitation work in flood-hit Kerala.
Forces help rekindle life in Kerala
With flood water receding in most of the affected areas, flood-ravaged Kerala is struggling to return to normalcy. As per India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, no heavy rainfall is expected in the state for the next few days.A total of 41 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are still deployed in Kerala to assist the state administration in rescue, relief and rehabilitation work and to respond in emergency situations.On Tuesday, NDRF teams deployed in Idukki, Kottayam, and Pathanamthitta evacuated 122 persons. Besides, they distributed relief materials in the flood-affected areas of Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta. In addition, the NDRF also provided medical assistance to the sick persons in inundated areas of Kerala. Medical teams have been set up in Alappuzha and Thrissur where so far aid has been provided to 104 people.Ever since the beginning of the crisis, the NDRF has rescued 535 lives, evacuated 24,616 marooned people, rescued 119 livestock and provided ...
Baby food needed in Kerala camps, Minister tells industry
Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal held a meeting with representatives of food-processing industry and informed them about the immediate need for baby food in Kerala relief camps, official sources said on Tuesday.
HC seeks report on helmet rule implementation
The Madras High Court today sought to know why the compulsory helmet rule for pillion riders of two-wheelers and seat belt for occupants of car were not enforced effectively and directed the police to file a report on steps taken so far to implement it. A bench comprising Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad made gave the direction during the hearing of a petition seeking a direction to the police to ensure that helmet was worn by both the rider and the pillion rider as mandated in the Motor Vehicles Act. "We have never seen a pillion rider wearing helmet though it is mandatory as per the Motor Vehicles Act," the court said. It directed the police to file a report on the steps taken by them for implementing the rule making wearing of helmet mandatory for the two-wheeler riders and pillion riders and adjourned the hearing. Petitioner K K Rajendran, a city resident, submitted that according to a report released by the transport commissioner most of the road ...
Kerala floods: Vistara to fly doctors free of cost to Thiruvananthapuram
Extending help to flood-ravaged Kerala, full service airline Vistara will fly doctors, nurses, disaster management experts and skilled volunteers from accredited institutions and relief organisations to Thiruvananthapuram. The airline today said it will fly such people "free of cost" from the national capital and Chennai. In a tweet, the airline also said it will "fly them back at the conclusion of their missions". Due to limited availability of seats, Vistara said it will accommodate such requests on a first come, first serve basis. Many airlines, including Vistara, have initiated measures such as additional flights to Kerala against the backdrop of heavy rains and floods hitting the state. Vistara said it is also partnering with Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), India to carry relief material from corporates and accredited NGOs to Kerala. In a release, Jet Airways said it has airlifted over three tonnes of medicines and other relief material to Kerala and is facilitating transfer of ..
NCP announces Rs 1 crore aid for flood-hit Kerala
The Nationalist Congress Party announced a financial aid of Rs 1 crore today for the flood-ravaged Kerala, apart from medicines and other materials it has donated for the relief work. Announcing the aid, Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil demanded that the Centre declare the unprecedented floods a national disaster, and increase the financial assistance it has declared for the southern state.
Kerala Floods: 663 people rescued by IAF so far
The India Air Force (IAF) has so far rescued 663 people in flood-battered Kerala and airlifted 974 tonnes of relief material, it said in a statement. Transport aircraft from all corners of the country have been flying day and night to ensure relief material is available in relief camps, it said. "Women, children, elderly people and residents were winched from the rooftops of submerged houses to safety by IAF helicopters. Till date, IAF has rescued 663 people. IAF helicopters have also dropped food and water packets to the stranded people in the affected areas," the statement read. It has airlifted 974 tonnes of relief material. Medical teams from the Southern Air Command and the Training Command have been deployed at various places to provide medical assistance, it said. In addition, No 1 Rapid Action Medical Team (RAMT) has been flown from the Command Hospital Air Force Bengaluru to Thiruvanathapuram to assist in the relief efforts in Kerala. The RAMT has the capability to provide ...
Hearing impaired boy donates Rs 10K to Ker flood relief fund
In a touching gesture, a 15-year-old hearing impaired boy today handed over Rs 10,000, which he had saved to buy a hearing-aid, as his contribution to the Kerala flood relief fund. Jayasurya, a class IX student of a government aided school at a nearby village, had saved the money to purchase a hearing aid as the present device was not of help to him. His father is an advocate and his mother, a staff in the local court. The parents told reporters that their son had undergone coaching at an institute here for rectification of his disability and he was admitted some years ago to the school at Madagadipet. He has been getting a monthly assistance of Rs 2000 under a Department of Social Welfare scheme. Jayasurya had planned to purchase a new hearing aid, but on seeing the flood havoc in Kerala through TV channels, he decided to donate his savings to the Kerala flood relief fund. His parents also encouraged him and the sum was handed over today to Chief Minister V Narayanasamy
Major railway tracks restored in Kerala, Prabhu speaks on flight ops
Indian Railways has restored all major tracks that were damaged due to Kerala floods, informed an official on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Union Minister Suresh Prabhu told that commercial flight operation from Kochi Naval Airport have started after war-footing efforts.A senior official from Railway Ministry said, "Torrential rains in Kerala, consequent flooding and landslide had severely affected the three divisions of Southern Railway."Giving details of the three railway divisions, the official said, "On the Thiruvananthapuram division, 11 bridges witnessed water level rising over danger level where at three locations tracks got submerged in water. In Palakkad division, the water level rose above the danger level in 10 bridges while one got submerged. Similarly, Madurai division was also badly affected due to earth slip and falling of boulders. The railway team worked round the clock to do the repairs and all sections in the main route of Kerala were opened."The routes that have been ...
Eight rain-related deaths in MP; car swept away in Mandsaur
At least eight deaths in rain-related incidents were today reported in Madhya Pradesh as heavy showers continued to lash many parts of the state. Four persons drowned when the car in which they were travelling was swept away in Gulyana area, 25 km from Mandsaur district headquarters, police said. Rahul Maheshwari (30), Arvind Nagori (60), Dipak Agrawal (33) and Navratan Goel (54) tried to cross a bridge across a flooded stream in car, but the vehicle was swept away in strong currents, said Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh. The car was found half a km away downstream. Bodies have been sent for autopsy, Singh said. Shumila (38) and her daughters Tanzim (9) and Ariba (3) died when a nearby boundary wall collapsed on their hut in Kilod Park locality of Bhopal city early this morning, said inspector Anand Tiwari. A 16-year-old youth was swept away in a flooded drain in Tila Jamalpura area here around 5.30 AM, police sub-inspector Shivraj Singh said. Wasim, the ...
Reliance Foundation rushes supplies for Kerala flood victims
Reliance Foundation today said it has taken a multi-pronged rescue, relief and rehabilitation programme for the flood-affected people in Kerala, donating Rs 21 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund and supplying relief material worth Rs 50 crore. Reliance Foundation (RF), along with Reliance Industries and its group companies, has been since August 14 carrying out rescue and relief operations in the six worst affected districts of Ernakulam, Wayanad, Alappuzuha, Thrissur, Idukki and Pathanamthitta. "RF has identified 15,000 affected families who would be provided dry ration kits, utensils, shelter, shoes and clothes in the coming days. The bulk of the material will be supplied by Reliance Retail," it said in a statement here. Through Reliance Retail, supplies such as ready-to-eat food, glucose, and sanitary napkins have been provided to 160 government-run relief camps, sheltering about 50,000 people. A large consignment of relief material, weighing about 2.6 tonnes, has been ...
Navy scales down operations further after flood water recedes
The Navy today said it is presently involved in air dropping relief material such as food and has scaled down operations further in view of flood waters receding from many waterlogged areas to manageable levels. The Southern Naval Command (SNC) said no requests for rescue, either by boat or airlift were received and so it has recalled 30 teams deployed for rescue operations. "The total number of diving teams deployed has now been reduced to 21, with 30 teams having returned after completing their rescue mission", an SNC release said here. The SNC, which announced scaling down of the operation yesterday, said a total of16,005 persons were rescued. It said eight sorties,amounting to 10 hours of flying,were undertaken by various naval aircraft, mainly for air dropping relief material especially food and medicines. All SNC rescue teams are being used by district administrations for transferring relief material and medicines and to provide assurance of presence. On a request ..
Centre sends emergency drugs to Kerala
The Centre on Tuesday said 65 tonnes of emergency drugs have been transported by the Indian Air Force to check epidemics in flood-hit Kerala.
Steps taken to ensure speedy relief materials delivery to Kerala: Govt
To ensure hassle-free delivery of relief materials to flood-ravaged Kerala, Cochin Port, one of the top 12 major ports in the country, has earmarked two berths for priority berthing of vessels carrying such items, the government said today. Naval Ship INS Deepak from Mumbai has brought in about 800 tonnes of fresh water and 18 tonnes of provisions to Cochin. "In the calamity-hit state of Kerala, the Ministry of Shipping has taken the initiative to reach relief material from various parts of the country to Cochin Port through coastal shipping," the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement. The Cochin Port Trust has earmarked two berths at Mattancherry and Ernakulam wharfs for priority berthing of vessels bringing flood relief materials to Kerala, it said adding, two warehouses have been especially earmarked for storage of relief materials and medicines. The relief material from the major ports at Tuticorin (VO Chidambaranar Port), Cochin, New Mangalore, Chennai and Kamaraj is being ...
TN Guv donates one month salary for Kerala flood relief
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has donated his one month salary for flood relief following the unprecedented deluge in Kerala. "The Governor has been greatly anguished by the hardship faced by the people of Kerala and has expressed his solidarity with them through this gesture," a Raj Bhavan release said today. An estimated 223 people have lost their lives since August 8 in Kerala's worst floods in decades which also forced more than 10 lakh people out of their homes.
Ker rain toll rises to 231; Govt seeks Rs 2,600 cr package
Kerala today sought a Rs 2,600 crore special package from the Centre even as the state struggled to find its feet after the devastating deluge that left 231 dead in a fortnight and displaced over 14 lakh people. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired a meeting of the state cabinet, which decided to seek the special package under the centrally-sponsored schemes, including the flagship rural employment programme MNREGS. As the cabinet took stock of the havoc caused by the unprecedented floods in a century, the Centre released Rs 600 crore to Kerala and decided to waive customs duty and GST on the relief materials being imported for the affected people. The central assistance of Rs 500 crore as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rs 100 crore by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had been released today, an official spokesperson said in New Delhi. In another major relief, the United Arab Emirates, home to a large number of expatriates from Kerala, promised an ...
Kerala floods: Plea in SC for proper implementation of rehabilitation scheme
A plea was today filed in the Supreme Court seeking judicial supervision and proper implementation of rehabilitation scheme for flood victims in Kerala. The plea filed by Kerala-based lawyer Siji Antony sought to know the steps taken by the Centre including any help requested from the United Nations and agencies like World Health Organization to handle the emergency situation. It also said that the Centre cannot "wash its hands" of the responsibility of protecting the life of its citizens, adding that if there is no request from the state government, the Union Government must, "as the protector of life and liberty of the citizens and other people", intervene on its own. The petition, filed through advocate Prasanth Padmanabhan, sought to know about the readiness with which the central government and states can deal with natural calamities and disaster as defined under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 in the light of the Kerala experience. "Had the National Plan been properly ...
Reliance Foundation, Bajaj donate for Kerala
Reliance Foundation (RF) Chairperson Nita M. Ambani on Tuesday announced a donation of Rs 21 crore to the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund, besides relief materials worth around Rs 50 crore.
Rains subside in Kodagu, rehabilitation work gains speed
With rains subsiding, relief and rehabilitation work gained momentum today inthe flood and landslips ravaged Kodagu district ofKarnataka, bordering Kerala. With operations to rescue those stranded by and large completed, officials said thedistrict administration was now focusing on providing reliefand rehabilitation to those at relief camps, clearingblocked roads and restoring power. The torrential rains that lashed the district lastweek left a huge trail of destruction, claiming atleast 12 lives and rendering thousands homeless. With all major roads in Kodagu blocked, amassive rescue operation had been underway for the last coupleof days to rescue those stranded in isolated and hillyterrain. As of yesterday, over 4,320 people were rescuedand brought to relief centres. District in-charge Minister Sa Ra Mahesh said, "tillnow efforts were on to rescue stranded people safely. Now the work will have to begin on rebuilding their lives." He also requested people to ...
Government releases Rs 600 crore aid to Kerala
The Centre on Tuesday released Rs 600 crore to the Kerala government for relief work in the flood-ravaged state and decided to waive Customs Duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) on relief materials being imported.