Odisha Govt In Touch With Kerala On Stranded Odia Labourers: SRC

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday said that it is in constant touch with the Kerala government about the the Odia labourers who are stranded in the flood-hit districts.

“We are in constant touch with the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) of the Kerala government `on the plight of the Odia labourers. A 24-hour control room has been opened at the SRC office here. Through the control room, we are informing the Kerala government after getting information from the stranded Odia labourers,” SRC, Odisha, Bishnupada Sethi told mediapersons here.

Stating that a 4-member team of the Labour and Employment department has left for Kerala to bring back the Odia labourers, he said those who are willing to come to Odisha, a special train has been arranged for them.

Meanwhile, two members of the New Life Producer Group from Tikirapada area of Sonepur district, Dhruba Meher and Mangulu Meher, who had gone to Chengannur town of Alappuzha district to display the products of their group at the Kudumbashree Saras, the annual festival for the promotion of rural arts and handicrafts of Kerala, on behalf of the ORMAS (Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society), got stranded due to the devastating flood. Besides, the products worth Rs 4 lakh that they had taken for the display were completely damaged.