NCMC holds meet to scale up assistance, rescue operations

New Delhi [India], Aug. 16 (ANI): In view of the prevailing floods situation in Kerala, a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) was held on Thursday to scale up assistance and ensured continued relief and rescue operations.
In the meeting, Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha took stock of the situation, preparedness, rescue and relief operations and directed that immediate and continued assistance be provided to Kerala to meet this crisis.
The Government of India is fully supporting the State of Kerala and has launched massive relief and rescue operations in the State.
The Cabinet Secretary also directed that relief material, including supply of drinking water, dry food packets and powdered milk should also be made available to Kerala. For proper reservoir management in Mullaperiyar Dam, Cabinet Secretary constituted a Committee chaired by Chairman, Central Water Commission and Engineers-in-Chief of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
On the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet Secretary chaired the meeting in which Secretaries of Central Ministries including Defence, Home, Water Resources and Chiefs of Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Chairman, Central Water Commission (CWC) and other senior officers were present.
Kerala also participated over video conference represented by Chief Secretary and his team.
Showing concern over Kerala's current situation the Supreme Court has asked the high power committee to convene a meeting by tomorrow morning in connection with the rising water level in Mullaperiyar Dam.
The apex court also asked both the state governments-Tamil Nadu and Kerala to hold the meeting by video conferencing, as physical presence would be little impossible.
Speaking to ANI, NDRF Director General (DG) Sanjay Kumar, said, "We have deployed teams in seven districts. We are working for rescue, evacuation and relief in coordination with the state authorities."
As of now, 18 teams of NDRF, nine columns and eight teams of Engineering Task Force (ETC) of the Army, 22 teams of Coast Guard, 24 diving teams of Navy along with helicopters, aircrafts, boats, equipment, life buoys, life jackets, and many more have been dispatched to assist Kerala in rescue operations as well as evacuation of stranded people. Besides this, medical assistance is also being provided by NDRF, Army, Navy including in special medical camps. So far, 2,182 persons have been rescued, 968 stranded people have been evacuated through prompt action of NDRF, Army and Navy.
The NCMC will meet tomorrow again to review the situation. (ANI)