Kerala Floods: Sun finally shines over the state as thousands still stranded

For the first time in many days the sun shone brightly over Kerala on Tuesday even as hundreds of thousands remained in relief camps while many who returned home broke down after seeing the enormity of the destructionThere were no rains and the level of flood water in several areas of the state that got submerged had receded officials and residents said But the lowlying areas in the districts of Ernakulam Idukki and Thrissur were still under a sheet of waterThe United Arab Emirates UAE home to hundreds of thousands of Keralites has pledged 100 million for relief work in Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announcedA new Kerala has to be built Funds are the prime requisite for this This will be raised by us through various sources besides getting it from the Centre and other agencies he told the mediaBoth central and state agencies besides NGOs continued to rescue those still stranded in flooded areas and provide relief on a massive scale in the wake of the worst flooding in the state in a century that has left some 370 people dead and caused widespread destructionIn Neliyamapathy in Palakkad district helicopters ferried pregnant women and others seeking medical help from a marooned spot while dumping food for more than 1000 people still cut off after roads in the region were severely damagedIn Chengannur the last of those trapped in waterlogged places had been rescued said local legislator Saji CherianLikewise rescue operations were declared over in Paravur in Ernakulam district one of the most affected places since torrential rains and the opening of sluice gates of many dams caused a delugeIn Wayanad people began to start going back to their homes now filled with mud and filth But 800 tribal families were distraught as their homes had been washed awayWe have nothing left And we have nowhere to go cried a tribal womanIn Malappuram and Kozhikode districts too many were seen leaving the campsWe have given a departure kit to everyone and it includes all the basic things for people to restart life said a government officialThe Kerala Police on Tuesday took charge of all the 3000 relief campsPolice chief Loknath Behra warned that appropriate action would be taken against all traders who jack up prices of essential commoditiesThere will be no leniency shown to such people and those who engage in spreading fake messages and news Already a few are behind the barsMurali a carpenter lamented that there was nothing in his house that could be salvaged I have lost Rs 50000 worth of equipment I have to start from the scratchA freelance photographer in Chengannur broke down when he found his most precious camera destroyedSaid a woman in Pandanadu We are left just with the clothes we are wearingMeanwhile a Coast Guard ship arrived at the Cochin Port with 48 tonnes of relief materialsSeveral groups have launched an initiative to clean peoples housesAravind Sasi a journalist here said he had already completed the cleaning of a house in ThiruvallaWe have all the cleaning materials and we have an electrician also Tomorrow we will reach Ranni where we will clean up around three houses he saidVijayan said they would ask the Centre to allow Kerala to increase the market borrowings from 3 per cent of the states total revenue to 45 per cent As a result an additional Rs 10000 crore can be raisedThe Chief Minister said he would demand a special package for Kerala from the Modi governmentOn Tuesday the Centre waived of customs and import duty on all materials arriving from abroadCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Except for the change in headline the story has been provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE without any verification or editing from our side Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever