Relief pours in for tsunami-hit

State calls for special trains, aircraft to send supplies faster

The state government, corporates, non government organisations and the general public have put together a huge stock of essential items and relief supplies for the Tsunami-hit people in south India.

While two aircraft carrying 35 tonnes of relief supplies have already taken off from Ahmedabad and Bhuj, about 30 tonnes of relief material is already waiting at the two airports for want of aircraft to carry these supplies to the affected regions.

Another 40 trucks carrying about ten tonnes of relief supplies each have already left Ahmedabad. The state government aims to send at least 100 trucks by December 31.

Chief minister Narendra Modi said in Ahmedabad on Wednesday afternoon that a request has been made to the Union government for providing a special train facility from Ahmedabad to send relief supplies faster to the Tsunami hit regions.

He said Gujarat will be in a position to send a full train of relief supplies to affected regions. "Gujarat will be in a position to send between 2500 to 3000 tonnes of relief supplies at short notice. We have asked for a full train to carry these," the CM said.

State revenue and civil supplies minister Kaushik Patel said two more cargo planes are also awaited from the union ministry to send relief supplies to the affected persons.

Meanwhile, corporates, people and others kept donating money into the chief minister's relief fund. Several people handed over cheques to the chief minister at a function organised at Ahmedabad to flag off 20 trucks carrying relief supplies.

Clothes, medicines, milk, tents, food packets and tarpaulins are mainly being sent. Patel said the state civil supplies department has made packets of 10 kg each, containing seven kg of rice, 1.5 kg of dal, 500 grams of sugar, salt and other spices, which are being sent in trucks.

"The state civil supplies department will send over one lakh such packets through trucks, which will be handed over to the civil supplies departments of affected states," Patel said.