District Collector U.V. Jose was all praise for the people who rose to the occasion to undertake relief operations across the district.
At a meeting held on Monday to discuss the rehabilitation of survivors in Kozhikode, he said the government did not have to spend money to run the 311 relief camps as local organisations and individuals had voluntarily taken up the responsibility and handled it quite well.
“The Revenue Department was just a facilitating and coordinating agency,” he said.
The District Collector’s call on his official Facebook page on August 17 at 10 a.m. to help send three containers of relief material to Thrissur district had received an overwhelming response. By 2 p.m. the same day, five containers of material were despatched to Thrissur. “So far, seven loads of material have been sent to Thrissur, six loads to Ernakulam and three to Alappuzha district, all thanks to the common people in Kozhikode,” the Collector said, adding that Kozhikode was ready to contribute more.
He appreciated the efforts of local organisations, especially the Araya Samajam, an organisation of fishermen, in the rescue operations. “The government will make arrangements for the repair of the boats that got damaged during the operation,” he said.
He requested further involvement of the public in ensuring proper rehabilitation of the survivors. “The local people in Puthuppady have sponsored a year’s rent for houses to accommodate those who have lost theirs in the flood,” he said.
