Kerala floods: State government cancels all official celebrations for one year

KOCHI: In the aftermath of the worst floods and landslides which claimed the lives of over 350 people and damaged property worth several thousand crores, the Kerala government has decided not to hold any official celebrations for one year.

News agency ANI claimed that the Kerala Government has decided to cancel all official celebrations for one year. 

Programs including International Film Festival of Kerala and other youth festivals stand cancelled, it said.

Kerala Government has decided to cancel all official celebrations for one year. Programs including International Film Festival of Kerala and other youth festivals stand cancelled #KeralaFloods pic.twitter.com/r5aJGHYW8c

— ANI (@ANI) September 4, 2018

The Kerala government further announced that it won't host any function that involves huge sums of money for a year and instead divert the amount for flood relief.

The decision in this regard was taken following Kerala government's assessment of the worst floods which estimated a loss to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore to the state.

An order issued by the Kerala government said that no government department would host any festival for a year.

The funds earmarked for all such cancelled events would be diverted to the Chief Minister`s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF), it said.

Till Monday, the CMDRF fund had received Rs 1,036 crore. 

Kerala Ministers are soon leaving to 14 countries to raise money from public contributions.

However, with water receding from most parts of rain-battered Kerala, the state is facing a challenge from different types of fever including leptospirosis which has claimed nine lives since August 29.

Two persons died of leptospirosis (rat fever) Monday, one each at Palakkad and Kozhikode, according to the Directorate of Health Services.

A total of 71 people tested positive for rat fever in various hospitals in the state while 123 people approached hospitals with suspected symptoms of the disease.

More than 13,800 people took treatment for various types of fever across the state Monday, officials said. 

Eleven confirmed and 21 suspected cases of dengue were also reported in the state.

Talking to reporters after a meeting to review the fever-situation, Health Minister K K Shylaja said the government was ready with a plan to check the spread of different types of fever including leptospirosis.

People, who had engaged in cleaning operations in the flood-affected areas, have been asked to take preventive medicines for leptospirosis, she said.

Officials said rain-related incidents have claimed 488 lives since the onset of the south-west monsoon on May 28. 

(With PTI inputs)