Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday visited the relief camps and material collection centres in Thiruvananthapuram. In the morning, he visited a relief camp at Kalady and later the relief material collection centre at SMV Higher Secondary School. He commended the young volunteers for the hard work they had put in over the past few days.
Later in the day, he visited the relief camps in Alappuzha district. Talking to reporters after the visit, he said the funds allocated by the Union government for the State were grossly insufficient, as only ₹500 crore had been announced, even though the initial assessment of losses has been pegged at ₹20,000 crore. The Union government has also refused to declare it a national disaster. He said he expected the government to rectify its stand. “The Union government and the armed forces have to provide help in rebuilding Kerala.
“The services of the Army’s engineering wing will be required in reconstruction of the damaged roads and bridges and the services of the military doctors will be needed to prevent the spread of communicable diseases,” said Mr. Yechury.
He also showered praise on the common people of Kerala, who all joined together in a massive rescue and relief effort. Such a rescue effort has been unprecedented anywhere in the world, he said.
