Kerala floods: Train services partially restored, CM reaches out for additional help

Cochi: A day after Centre declared the situation in Kerala a "calamity of severe nature", Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requested for more aid to help savage the flood-hit state.

Over one million people are now sheltered in 3,274 relief camps in Kerala, said Vijayan on Monday.

Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said, "223 people lost their lives between August 8-20. Six people died today. The Centre said they will make all necessary requirements available to us but in today`s situation what is most needed is the necessary help, equivalent to the total damages caused so far."

A total of 602 marooned people were rescued on Monday, he added.

The state faces the gigantic task of rebuilding destroyed infrastructure and rehabilitating millions of people rendered homeless.

As per preliminary estimates, the state has so far suffered a loss of nearly Rs 20,000 crore. The Union government has so far rendered all help to the state. Kerala received Rs 210 crore towards the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund and a promise of Rs 160 crore," he said.

With the decrease in rainfall and receding of floodwater in the state, the train services have been partially restored. People have started going back home and begun cleaning operations..

The train services in Kayankulam-Kottayam- Ernakulam and Palakkad-Shoranur-Kozhikkode sections have been resumed. Trivandrum- Ernakulam section was also connected by passenger Special Trains for the flood period. Heavy damages caused by the floods in Aluva- Thrissur, Thrissur-Shoranur, Kayamkulam-Kottayam- Ernakulam Shoranur-Tirur, Shoranur- Palakkad routes have been fixed.

Few special trains were started via Trivandrum, Tirunelveli, and Madurai to Chennai, Egmore, Howarah, Gorakhpur, Bhubaneswar routes to evacuate stranded people.The traffic in Aluva- Thrissur, Thrissur-Shoranur sections was also restored.

Barring the flood-affected areas, the Southern Railway had began running 159 Express trains and 11 passenger trains connecting Kerala to the rest of the states from August 16-18. Kerala has been facing the worst flooding in a century.