Railway minister appeals to employees to donate a day's salary for Kerala flood victims

Flood-hit Kerala is likely to get around Rs 200 crore from railways for rehabilitation works, after Railway Minister Piyush Goyal today appealed to the national transporter's 13 lakh employees across 16 zones to voluntarily donate a day's salary for the cause.

Goyal said he was confident of a positive response from the employees as their contribution will help bring relief to the thousands rendered homeless in the state.

"Employees of southern railways have already contributed Rs 65 lakh to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund without us even asking them to do so. We will send out the notice today," the minister told reporters.

 

Railway Board officials said that the aid would amount to Rs 200 crore.

Goyal also said that railways has run as many as 61 special trains in Thiruvanathapuram and Palakkad divisions to connect stranded passengers.

"In particular, Thiruvananthapuram- Ernakulam section was connected by passenger Special Trains via Alleppey, which was not affected during the flood period every three hours, helping all for the movement of people, rescue and relief team," he said.

While three lakh Rail Neer Bottles from IRCTC plants in Southern Railway have been dispatched to the flood ravaged state, another one lakh bottles are getting ready to be delivered.

Even as Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons today appealed for more packed food for the people of the state, the railways, in a statement, said that its catering operations were working round the clock at all major stations like Trivandrum and Palakkad and food was being supplied to the needy on payment basis.

He said that arrangements were also being made to supply food packets through NGOs for stranded passengers in AluvaWadakkanchery section of Trivandrum and Shoranur in Palakkad division.

"Food packets were distributed to staff working in the section Shoranur Calicut section. 12,000 food packets were arranged at Chalakkudi and Aluva during August 16-18 August, 2018. The staff of divisional office collected relief materials worth Rs 4 lakh which was also handed over to the district administration," the statement said.

An estimated 223 people have lost their lives since August 8 in Kerala's worst floods in decades which also forced more than 10 lakh people out of their homes.