'Free electricity and free ration for six months in disaster-affected areas; financial assistance to plantation and migrant workers'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the government has given instructions to distribute free ration through ration shops in the disaster-affected areas. Two ration shops in the landslide-damaged area have started functioning in Meppadi itself. Speaking at a press conference, the Chief Minister stated that ration items for distribution in the month of August have been made available in all the ration shops in the Wayanad district.

Chief Minister's words

Mobile Maveli Stores are travelling to deliver essential items to the disaster-affected areas. Necessary items are being distributed to the respective camps from the Supplyco outlets as demanded by the village officers of the respective areas. Gas agencies have been directed to provide gas cylinders, regulators and passbooks to those who lost them in the natural calamities. The government has given directions to ensure the quality of food provided to the people staying in the camps, the staff involved in search and rescue operations and the volunteers.

Landslide victims need to be shifted from school camps. Steps will be taken to ensure necessary facilities while they are being shifted. Many people are living in relief camps due to the floods. Some houses can be made habitable if the water and mud recede. Once the water recedes, people with relatively safe houses will be facilitated to return to their own houses after cleaning works. If the valuable items can be safely recovered from the houses in the disaster-affected areas, an arrangement will be made to recover those items in the presence of the police.

The government has directed the KSEB to provide free power for six months in wards 10, 11 and 12 of the Meppadi panchayat which were hit by the landslides. The 1,139 customers who would benefit from this will also not have to pay their outstanding dues, if any.

More than 150 personnel were assigned for post-mortem alone. Health workers from various medical colleges, including Kottayam, Alappuzha, Kozhikode, Kannur and various hospitals in Wayanad are on duty in Wayanad. Doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, head nurses and cleaning staff are working in various shifts. Today, 60 employees are involved in the post-mortem process.

ADGP MR Ajith Kumar, who is in charge of law and order, has been in Wayanad since the day of the tragedy. He is camping there to coordinate the rescue operations.

Migrant workers living in Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas are safe. Three migrant workers went missing and one died in the landslide. One person is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Meppadi. 406 people from this region were relocated to various camps operating in the district. These people, who came from the states of Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, are working in Harrison Malayalam Limited and Ranimala Estate. There are 321 workers under Harrison Malayalam Limited and 28 workers in Ranimala Estate area.

The district administration is providing counselling and food to the migrant workers staying in the camps. The Labour Board will provide financial assistance to plantation workers and migrant workers. Medical assistance will be provided to migrant workers.

The cabinet sub-committee is camping in Wayanad and coordinating the activities. Ministers K Rajan, AK Saseendran, PA Mohammed Riyas and OR Kelu are members of the committee. Other ministers have also visited Wayanad and are assessing the problems in related sectors.