Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday announced that the state government would cancel its Onam festivities in the wake of the rain havoc that has devastated the state and left tens of thousands of people in relief camps set up by local administrations in different districts.
Vijayan announced the decision after a cabinet meeting in the state capital on a day that witnessed the return of E, P. Jayarajan to the cabinet. The senor Communist Party of India Marxist leader had been dropped earlier from the cabinet after allegations of nepotism were raised against him.
“It is not meaningful to celebrate the Onam festival when so many people are suffering from flooding and related causes,” the chief minister said. The decision was widely anticipated given the manner in which the incessant rains and landslips have wrecked the state over the past fortnight.
Instead, the state government will utilise part of the Onam festival funds for flood relief work.
Meanwhile, the weather bureau predicted heavy rains until Wednesday. Several dams are still in evacuation due to the strong inflows into them. The opening of the Mattupetty dam caused flooding in parts of Munnar on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Left Democratic Front government had decided to postpone the prestigious Nehru Trophy boat race, which is traditionally held on the second Saturday of August. Vijayan said a new date for the boat race would be decided when the weather improved.
The Nehru Trophy boat race is an important event in the annual itinerary of the tourism department, and a big revenue earner for Alappuzha district, where the race is held.
The government also decided to declare 251 more villages as flood-hit, besides the 193 villages that were already categorised as flood-affected. The state government will provide Rs10,000 (Dh525) each to the families that have had to move out of their homes temporarily.
For those who lost their homes, the government will pay Rs400,000, and to those who lost their homes and land, the state government will provide assistance to purchase 1,306 to 2,178 square feet of land.
The chief minister also appealed to employees of government and private companies to contribute two days’ earnings to the relief efforts.
Government officials have been instructed to provide personal identification and other documents to those who have lost them in the floods, free of cost.
The chief minister appreciated the contribution of Rs1 billion by the federal government as relief assistance to the state. The state government has sought more than Rs80 billion from the federal government to tide over the damage caused by the floods.
