Maharashtra CM, city open heart, purse strings for marooned in Kerala

MUMBAI/PUNE: The Maharashtra government announced a grant of Rs 20 crore, revised from the initial Rs 5 crore after Opposition criticism, as Malayalee community organisations, industry bodies and political parties here opened their heart and purse strings to aid flood relief in Kerala.
Marooned villagers need drinking water, matchboxes and candles, lungis and nighties, apart from sanitation items and milk powder.
However, a Navy couple from Colaba collected loads of material but found that the NGO from Kochi they were relying on was unresponsive. Other NGOs are amassing relief items but are yet to network with transporters.
Citizens are contributing in cash and kind at community-led Malayalee samajams across the city. A large consignment of packaged drinking water, biscuits, medicines and foodgrains was despatched from the official Kerala Bhavan, Vashi. Manager Rajiv Gopinathan oversaw loading of approximately 50 tonnes of material aboard a cargo ship.
In Borivli (W), V K Krishna Menon Academy and Junior College in New MHB Colony, run by the local samajam, is the nodal relief centre. Its president, Shriraj Nair, said, “Soap, toothpaste, packaged eatables and water, utensils, mats, clothes and sanitary pads are essential now.”
Saji David, secretary of BKS, a Vasai community group, said eight tonnes of material, including rice, biscuits and drinking water was sent to the Coast Guard for delivery on Saturday. “We have planned another despatch on Sunday. People can contribute rice bags, packaged water, biscuits, general medicines, new lungis, nighties, undergarments, bedsheets, towels and napkins before noon on Sunday,” he said.
Industry body MHCI Credai contributed Rs 1.5 crore and 11 tonnes of material, said president Nayan Shah. Two consignments of biscuits, rusk, dry food packets and rice flakes are being sent by the IAF and Coast Guard over the weekend. Additional vice-president of Credai, Sukhraj Nahar, who is also on the board of Rajasthani Welfare Association and Jito International, announced a separate contributions of Rs 51 lakh from each.

State gazetted officers pledged Rs 30 crore from a day’s salary. “Nearly 1.5 lakh employees donated a day’s wages. The sum amounts to Rs 30 crore,” said G D Kulthe of Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers’ Confederation.
The CM led a review meeting to assess items required. It was decided to despatch six tonnes of biscuits, packaged snacks and raw poha by the Coast Guard ship on Saturday evening. The food will reach Kochi in 18 hours. An IAF aircraft will be loaded with at least 15 tonnes of food on Sunday morning. The government also appealed to corporates.
A senior official said they had sought details of requirements from the Kerala government. “After sufficient food is delivered, we will start collecting clothes, blankets and hygiene kits, which they said they need,” he said. Maharashtra is keen to purchase garments rather than send used clothes. Medical education minister Girish Mahajan has sent a truck of clothes and medicines, and doctors and hospitals will be kept on standby.
Congress legislators will donate a month’s honorarium. Each MLA gets Rs 1.5 lakh pm and the party has 41 legislators, which works out to Rs 61.5 lakh. Shiv Sena cabinet ministers Eknath Shinde and Ravindra Chavan, and party MP Rahul Shewale contributed a month’s salary of Rs 2.7 lakh each.
At least 8,000 people, including tourists from abroad, have been rescued by Southern Command’s troops deployed in flood hit-Kerala since August 9, Southern Command authorities told TOI in Pune on Saturday. An engineer taskforce from Bombay Engineering Group and Centre (BEG&C) also rescued 1,500 people in the last four days. Indian Railways said it would supply 14.5 lakh litres of potable water from Pune to flood-hit areas.
Meanwhile, thousands of devotees from Kerala, in Shirdi for a religious gathering, have been given free accommodation and food there till the situation improves.
(Inputs by Sujit Mahamulkar)