Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff, visited Muttinakam in Varapuzha panchayat on Wednesday to make a detailed assessment of the damage caused by the recent floods. He also inaugurated the rehabilitation work in the region.
The Navy will take up the construction of the house of Vevekkatt Babu, whose house on the river bank was destroyed. The Navy will also renovate the damaged health sub-centre and anganwadi in Muttinakkam, attached to the Varapuzha primary health centre, and provide new furniture and equipment.
Addressing a gathering, Admiral Lanba said that all the personnel in the Navy would contribute a day’s salary towards the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund as a token of support to the people of Kerala. He said he would hand over a cheque for ₹8.9 crore to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday.
All three wings of the armed forces had worked in tandem in the rescue operations to save the flood-affected people across Kerala. The Navy alone had rescued 17,000 persons, including pregnant women, who had later delivered babies at INS Sanjeevani, the Naval Hospital at the Naval Base here. Admiral Lanba particularly lauded the air support provided by INS Garuda in conducting rescue operations by air. Cheriya Kadamakkudy, an island in Kadamakudy grama panchayat, is yet another flood-affected place where the Navy will take up construction of three houses, roofing of five houses and anganwadi reconstruction. A reverse osmosis plant for drinking water, with a capacity of 10 tonnes a day set up by the Navy in the island for the public, became operational on Tuesday.
The floods had affected water supply pipelines in many areas of Kadamakudy panchayat, which depends fully on water supplied by the Kerala Water Authority.
Among the many other proposals that were given to Admiral Lanba, he said the suggestion to construct a bridge from Pizhala island to Cheriya Kadamakudy would be taken up with other authorities concerned. As the project was cost intensive, it would be taken up separately.
The Navy had selected the two localities based on the inputs received from the local administration and visits by Naval officials. The Navy Chief has directed the Southern Naval Command to coordinate the rehabilitation activities.
The Navy also handed over 800 kits to families in Muttinakam. Admiral Lanba’s wife, Reena Lamba, who heads the Navy Wives Welfare Association, gave away the kits to the families at a function. Ms. Lanba also handed over ₹25 lakh-worth relief materials to the local self government officials in the presence of District Collector Mohammed Y. Safirulla. About 500 rehabilitation kits were also provided to Cheriya Kadamakudy earlier.
