Odisha Urges Kerala Govt To Provide Relief To 187 Stranded Odias

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Sunday urged its Kerala counterpart to provide relief to 187 Odia labourers stranded in the flood-hit districts.

The state government has written to the Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Relief Commissioner of Kerala, requesting him to provide immediate relief to these labourers.

A list of the stranded labourers with their mobile phone numbers has been sent to the Relief Commissioner to help them establish contact with those from Odisha.

Several Odias from Khandapada, Sarankul and Ranpur blocks of Nayagarh district are stranded in the flood-hit areas of Malappuram, Munnar, Thrissur and Ernakuram districts.

Since there has been no information about them, the panicked family members requested the district administration to take urgent measures to ensure their safe return.

“I have no information about my son who had been working as a labourer in a company in Kerala since last one and half year. As there is heavy flood in Kerala, I request you to kindly bring back my son to me,” Malika Maharana, mother of Kailash Maharana of Bahada village under Khandapada block, told mediapersons.

Similar request has also been made by Jamuna Maharana to rescue her son Santosh from the flood-hit district of Kerala. “My son told me over phone that he along with some other Odia labourers are stranded without food and water for nearly four days. I request the district administration to make necessary arrangements for his return to the village,” she said.

Meanwhile, the 27-member team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from Cuttack and Balasore districts of Odisha has successfully rescued 149 people from the flood-hit areas of Malappuram district of Kerala.

Sources said that the team under the leadership of Sibanarayan Dasmohapatra rescued the marooned people under Vengara police limits with the help of the local police on Saturday night.

On Saturday, the Odisha government had sent a 243-member team of the Fire Service personnel to Kerala to take up relief and rescue operations in the flood-hit districts of Kerala following a request by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The team left for Kerala in IL-76 aircraft of the Indian Air Force with 75 power boats and other equipment.