Idukki has gone back by 40 years due to floods: Kerala Minister
Idukki (Kerala), Aug 26: The hilly district of Idukki has been thrown back by 40 years following Kerala's worst flooding in a century, Power Minister M.M. Mani said on Sunday.
"What our forefathers built in the past 100 years to take Idukki to where it was has been washed away. Idukki has gone back by 40 years," the Marxist leader told the media.
This is one of the worst disasters Idukki has witnessed, he lamented.
Long considered home to settlers, the main occupation in Idukki is farming. But with its numerous hills and treacherous terrain, life has never been easy in the district.
Idukki is also home to some of the major dams which, when their sluice gates were opened after their water level came to the choking points, caused unprecedented destruction all over the state this month.
Idukki received one of its highest rainfalls starting from the end of May till the middle of August. This pushed up the water levels in the Idukki, Mulaperiyar and other dams.
For the first time in 26 years, the shutters of the Idukki dam were opened, causing a deluge.
"This is the worst destruction I have seen," said Mani, who is from the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
So bad is the situation that to reach the state capital Thiruvananthapuram from Idukki, Mani had to take a detour through the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu as the main link road linking Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram has been damaged.
Mani came under severe attack from the opposition for faulty dam water management but he insisted that all rules were followed.
"Everything was done according to clear-cut guidelines after discussing with all concerned," he said.
The waters gushing out from the Idukki dam spread out far and wide, damaging everything that came in its way and forcing hundreds of thousands to take shelter in relief camps.
While rains and flooding caused widespread damage to crops and buildings, landslides damaged several key roads connecting the major towns in the district with interior areas.
Roshy Augustine, an Idukki legislator, said on Sunday that massive efforts were needed to get Idukki back on its feet and rehabilitate all those who had lost everything they had.
"Ever since the tragedy struck, politics has taken a back seat. Everyone is working as one single team to restore Idukki to its original self... The need of the hour is a proper dam management policy," said the Congress MLA.
Idukki, especially Munnar, a picturesque hill station, took the worst beating. Even now the main road that connects Munnar with Ernakulam is only partially motorable.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
