Vualnam's team hands over aid

Takes stock of situation in flood-hit Kuttanad, interacts with displaced people at relief camps

A four-member Central team led by Vumlunmang Vualnam, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, visited the flood-affected areas in Kuttanad and Ambalappuzha taluks of the district on Sunday. The team also visited the relief camps and interacted with the displaced people.

The displaced persons at a relief camp at Cherukalikayal told the Central team that they were not getting drinking water for the last 50 days. The water was supplied only on Sunday because of the Central team’s visit, they alleged. They said they were drinking the polluted water from Vembanad lake all these days. They also demanded that people with APL and BPL cards should be treated equally at the camps. In another relief camp in the same area, the displaced people apprised the team of heavy agricultural loss they suffered due to a bund breach. The team also noted the insufficiency of food materials available in the camps. In one camp where 45 families lived, the food was cooked in a make-shift pandal. They don’t even have places to sleep at night. They sleep on the roofs of their flooded houses. The team visited the flood-affected Arupanka, south and north paddy polders in Kundathivarambinakam in Kelamangalam in Thakazhi, Chekkidikkadu Ashtamam paddy polder, banana cultivation areas in Panaikkappadiyil in Thalavady south, Muttar and Mankombu. They visited the relief camps in Pottanaru Akkarakalam in Mullackal village, Naduthuruthu Kizhakkechira, C-Block in Kainakary north village and Cherukalikayal.

Aid handed over

Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash, who was with the team, handed over an aid of Rs. 6.5 lakh to the family of Kuttummel Ponnapan, whose house was destroyed in the bund breach at Arupanku in Kainakary grama panchayat. The Central team also visited the spot of bund breach in Arupanku.

District Collector N. Padmakumar and Kuttanad MLA Thomas Chandy also accompanied the team.The other members in the Central team were Sidhil Sasi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, K. Manoharan, director-in-charge, Ministry of Agriculture and V.Srikant, Assistant Director, Department of Finance.