Kochi: Braving driving rain and raging waters, fishermen from Kerala had rescued 65,000 marooned people from flood hit areas in the state during rescue operations, Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma said on Sunday.
In the worst hit Pathanamthitta district alone, about 70 per cent of the total number of people marooned were rescued by local fishermen who had to all along work in inclement weather, she said.
“Fishermen in 669 mechanised country boats rescued a total of 65,000 people marooned in all districts, braving the torrential rains and floods,” she said at a function organised here to honour the fishermen.
The minister said the government had a clear vision when it decided to prepare fishermen from the sea coast for rescue operations.
The fisheries department resolved to field the fishermen for rescue operations on August 15 when the state started experiencing unusually heavy rains and floods.
Announcements were made through mikes in areas around their homes, including along the Kollam coast, urging the fishermen to launch rescue operations in flooded inland areas, Mercykutty Amma said.
To a man, they responded and came from far and near, transporting their mechanised country boats in trucks seized by the government for the purpose, she said.
Many fishermen who had ventured into the sea were called back and sent for rescue operations, she said.
“Kerala will always be grateful to the fishermen. We have shown the world that if we stand united we can face any such calamity”, the Minister said.
She said though all sections of society had taken part in rescue and relief operations, fishermen were being honoured as the government wanted to bring them into the mainstream.
MPs, MLAs, leaders of political parties and fishermen’s outfits participated in the function.
The death toll in the floods has touched 302 and over four lakh people are still in relief camps.
Meanwhile, as relief and rehabilitation work is on in flood ravaged Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday urged all Malayalis 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 today climbed to 302 with more bodies being recovered, a government press release said. Vijayan also reviewed ongoing relief operations and later saluted the services of the various central forces which had played a vital role in relief and rescue operations.
At a formal farewell function on Sunday night, he handed over citations to various senior officials and men in uniform and said ‘We could directly witness the bold initiatives they took to rescue those who were stranded in the flood waters’. Kerala Governor P Sathasivam met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Delhi yesterday and apprised him of the situation in the state.
The Prime Minister assured the Governor that Kerala would get more central funds from the National Disaster Response Fund as per laid down procedure and that the Rs 600 crore central aid released so far was only the advance assistance. There are still 4.62 lakh people in 1,435 relief camps. At least three lakh houses have been cleaned so far. Modi in his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio address today, hailed the humanitarian assistance rendered to victims of Kerala floods by people from all walks of life, saying irrespective of age group or area of work, people are contributing for the cause.
He also put on record his appreciation for the role rendered by the Army, Air Force, Navy, NDRF, BSF, CISF and the RAF in relief and rescue operations.
“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.”
As Kerala struggles to stand on her feet, water logging of homes in various places, especially 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 devastation and he hoped that the Centre would provide more funds.
Opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said more central funds are 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 and rehabilitation 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. (PTI)
