The Centre has decided to make the Naval airstrip at Kochi functional for commercial flights by August 20. As continuous rains makes the Kerala flood relief and evacuation even more challenging for the rescue forces on the ground, the Union government has made available 90 aircraft and 500 motorboats for the massive ongoing rescue operations in the flood affected areas.
The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), held its third meeting in three days on Saturday under the chairmanship of cabinet secretary P.K. Sinha. He discussed, in a video conference, with the chief secretary of Kerala the current flood situation and deployment of rescue teams, motorboats, helicopters, life jackets; provision of food, water and medicines; and restoration of power, telecom and transport links wherever they were disrupted.
With a view to improve telephone connectivity, the department of telecom has enabled intra-circle roaming, which will help subscribers of one service provider to access mobile towers of other service providers. All the operators have offered free data and SMS facility from Friday.
Mobile towers called ‘Cellular on Wheels’ are also being deployed to ensure that no block remains unconnected, said the MHA statement .
“In the unprecedented efforts being mobilised under the instructions of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 67 helicopters, 24 aircraft, 548 motorboats and thousands of rescue personnel from Indian Navy, Army, Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Coast Guard, other CAPFs, have been pressed into service to rescue and evacuate people from submerged areas to relief camps and for distribution of relief materials,” said an official statement .
More than 6,900 life jackets, 3,000 life buoys, 167 inflatable tower lights, 2,100 raincoats, 1,300 gumboots and 153 chain saws have been provided as per the request of the state government.
The cabinet secretary directed five more helicopters to be mobilised by IAF, Navy and ONGC which will be pressed into service by Sunday. Additional motorboats have also been put on standby for deployment.
So far, various central ministries have made available food, water and medicines which include 3,00,000 food packets, 6,00,000 MT of milk, 14,00,000 litres of drinking water, 150 potable water purification kits with capacity of 1,00,000 litre each.
Railways informed that trains have been running to Thiruvananthapuram via Erode and Madurai. It offered to run a special food and medicine train from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam as per the requirements of the state government to distribute food and medicines to all the stations on the way.
The meeting also reviewed various measures to restore power lines, petrol pumps, LPG, health facilities, and to provide necessary medicines and food and fodder with full support from the concerned central ministries.
The ministry of health has made ready emergency medicines and medical teams for deployment as soon as flood waters recede. The cabinet secretary directed that there should be proper coordination and distribution of the relief materials which are being offered by various state governments and other agencies.
The state chief secretary, while appreciating timely Central assistance, informed that there is some respite from the rainfall and water level in the dam reservoirs are stabilised. Further, as per IMD forecast, rainfall is expected to recede further barring in one or two districts, said the home ministry.
The meeting was attended by secretaries of Central ministries including home, health, civil aviation, food processing, telecom, water resources and senior officers of Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, NDRF, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), chairman, Central Water Commission (CWC) and other senior officers. Kerala was participated represented by chief secretary and his team via video conference.
The NCMC will meet again Sunday to review the situation.