As relief and rehabilitation work initon in flood ravaged Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday urged all Malayalees to donate one month salary to rebuild the state,where the death toll has now touched 302 and over four lakh are still in relief camps.
In many districts, people have started moving from camps to their homes after cleaning work has been completed.
The receding flood waters had left mounds of mud and debris in their homes and surroundings.
The toll on Sunday climbed to 302 with more bodies being recovered, a government press release here said.
“Yesterday was the festival of Onam. We pray for Onam to provide strength to the country, especially Kerala, so that it returns to normalcy on a newer journey of development. Once again on behalf of all Indians, I would like to reassure each and everyone in Kerala and other affected places that at this moment of calamity, the entire country stands by them,” Modi said in his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio address.
He said the loss of lives cannot be compensated, but he assured the grief-stricken families that in this moment of suffering, every Indian stands by them shoulder to shoulder.
As Kerala struggles to stand on her feet, waterlogging of homes in various places, especally in Kuttanad region of the worst hit Alapuzha district continues to be a worrying factor.
Huge pumps will be used to flush out water from homes and premises, after which the cleaning process will be taken up by removing the accumulated silt, authorities said.
Vijayan, who had accompanied Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh during the aerial surveys, said they were touched by the intensity of the devastationand he hoped that the Centre would provide more funds.
The union government has already released Rs 600 crore as immediate assistance against the state’s demand for Rs 2,000 crore.
Opposition leader in the assembly,Ramesh Chennithala said more central funds were needed for Kerala and there was nothing wrong in accepting foreign aid to help rebuild the state.
With the floods having left a trail of massive destruction andrehabilitation and reconstruction requiring huge financial resources, Vijayan wanted Keralites, both in the country and outside, to exhibit their generous self and contribute one day’s salary to the state.
