Heavy rains in Kerala claim 42 lives, over one lakh in relief camps
Thiruvananthapuram: As Kerala continues to battle the torrential downpour lashing its shores, death toll has risen to 42 in rain related incidents, including flooding and landslides, with over one lakh people moved to relief camps, officials said on Saturday.
Twenty people have been killed in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, and nine have died in Wayanad in rain related incidents since August 8, officials said quoting reports received till 7 am.
In 988 relief camps across the state, 1,07,699 persons have been shifted. In the worst affected Wayanad, 24,990 persons are in such camps, they said.
Many people are still feared trapped under debris following major landslides that hit the Wayanad and Malappuram districts and the rescue operations, which were suspended Friday night, have restarted as the day broke, the officials said.
Heavy rain is continuing in Wayanad, hampering the rescue efforts, the officials said.
Over 1,000 people have been rescued from the tea plantation village of Puthumala at Meppadi in Wayanad, which was rocked by landslides as portion of a hill came crashing down on several homes and other structures, including a mosque and a temple.
According to Wayanad Sub Collector N S K Umesh, seven bodies have been recovered so far and over 1,000 people have been moved to safer locations.
"The area is dangerous. What we understand is that 15 people are still missing," he said, adding search operations by Army and National Disaster Response Force personnel are underway.
With water levels rising, there is a possibility of opening the shutters of Banasurasagar dam, officials have indicated. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said on Friday that the dam could be opened any time.
The district administration is likely to take a decision in this regard after reviewing the situation this morning.
Besides Wayanad, the continuous rains have triggered multiple landslides and overflowing rivers have caused flooding in several parts of Malappuram, Kannur and Idukki in north and central Kerala.
Several areas in Thrissur and Kannur districts are waterlogged with many having been moved to relief camps.
Train services have also been disrupted due to flooding and trees falling on rail tracks.
Southern Railways has cancelled several trains, including the Kannur-Alapuzha Express, on Saturday. Many trains have been partially cancelled with routes cut short to avoid the flooded areas.
Mangaluru Nagercoil Parasuram Express has been cancelled between Mangaluru and Wadakkanchery, Mangaluru Nagercoil Ernad Express has been cancelled between Mangaluru and Thrisur, Thiruvananthapuram Hyderabad Sabari Express has been cancelled between Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore.
The Kannur Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi Express has been cancelled between Kannur and Shoranur.
For the day, the Met department has issued a red alert for Ernakulam, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur.
The deluge continues in the state even as it grapples to fully recover from the extensive damage caused by the floods of August, 2018 that claimed over 400 lives and left lakhs of people homeless.
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Karnataka Milk Federation enters Delhi-NCR, offers competitive pricing on Nandini products
New Delhi, Nov 21: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday launched the Karnataka Milk Federation's (KMF) Nandini brand milk products in the Delhi-NCR market, pricing them marginally lower than competitors to gain a foothold in the region.
The cooperative will retail four cow milk variants, curd, and buttermilk from Friday, with competitive pricing that undercuts established players like Mother Dairy and Amul.
Cow milk will be sold at Rs 56 per litre, full Cream Milk at Rs 67 per litre, Standardised Milk at Rs 61 per litre, Toned Milk at Rs 55 per litre, and curd at Rs 74 per kg.
"We have surplus milk in the state. KMF along with Mandya Milk Union will market surplus milk of 3-4 lakh litres per day in Delhi-NCR," Siddaramaiah told reporters after launching the products.
The federation currently collects 100 lakh litres of milk daily, with local consumption at 60 lakh litres, leaving a surplus of 40 lakh litres for expansion into new markets.
However, the Chief Minister acknowledged the challenges of transporting milk over 2,500 km, which takes 50-54 hours.
There is a need to find new markets for surplus milk and gradually the KMF should be able to sell 5-6 lakh litres per day in Delhi-NCR, he added.
KMF Chairman LBP Bheemanaik assured that milk quality would be maintained during transit.
The federation has already partnered with 40 dealers in the Delhi-NCR region to facilitate sales, he added.
With a robust infrastructure of 26.76 lakh milk producers, 15,737 dairy cooperative societies, and 15 district milk unions, KMF has a turnover of Rs 25,000 crore and exports dairy products to over 25 countries.
State Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh and Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy were present at the product launch.
ದೇಶದ ಹಾಲು ಉತ್ಪಾದನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಗುಜರಾತ್ ಮೊದಲ ಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರೆ, ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಎರಡನೇ ಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿದೆ.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) November 21, 2024
ದೆಹಲಿ ನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆ.ಎಂ.ಎಫ್ ಮತ್ತು ಮಂಡ್ಯ ಹಾಲು ಒಕ್ಕೂಟಗಳು ಸೇರಿಕೊಂಡು ವಿವಿಧ ಶ್ರೇಣಿಯ ಹಾಲನ್ನು ಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆಗೆ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡಿವೆ. ದೆಹಲಿಯ ನಿವಾಸಿಗಳಿಂದ ನಂದಿನಿ ಉತ್ಪನ್ನಗಳಿಗೆ ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ ಸ್ಪಂದನೆ ದೊರೆಯಲಿದೆ ಎಂಬ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸ ನನಗಿದೆ.… pic.twitter.com/yUmTQknGzD
