Date:02/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/02/stories/2006060213870100.htm

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Floods: Collectors told to submit reports

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan has asked District Collectors to ensure that calamity relief reached the deserving hands.

The Chief Minister gave this directive at a conference of Collectors and top officials convened here to review measures taken to provide assistance to people affected by natural calamities in the State.

So far, 32 persons had died in monsoon-related accidents in the State. Nearly 25,000 people belonging to 4,800 families have been moved to relief camps.

The Chief Minister told the Collectors to submit factual reports on the calamities and the damage so that the poor people could be helped.

The conference discussed the details of the memorandum to be submitted to the Centre soon for assistance.

The Collectors reported that a total of 357 houses had been destroyed and 5,340 houses damaged as a result of the heavy rain, winds and sea erosion. The loss from this was estimated to be of about 7.25 crores.

Crops in 5,162.45 hectares had been destroyed. The loss from this totalled about Rs.22 crores.

As many as 141 relief camps had been opened to house the displaced people. They were being provided with food, cloths and medicines. Floodwaters had not receded from some areas of Kuttanad.

The conference was attended, among others, by Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Electricity Minister A.K. Balan, Labour Minister P. K. Gurudasan, Transport Minister Mathew T. Thomas, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, Public Works Minister P.J. Joseph, Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy, Cooperation Minister G. Sudhakaran, Minister for Local Self-Government Paloli Mohammed Kutty, Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies C. Divakaran, Minister for Law M. Vijayakumar, Chief Secretary M. Riazudeen, and Director General of Police Raman Srivastava.