देश

Train services partially restored in rain-battered state

As monsoon rain has finally eased in Kerala, the train and flight services, which had collapsed following nature’s fury, have been partially restored. The train services in Kayankulam-Kottayam- Ernakulam and Palakkad-Shoranur-Kozhikkode sections have been resumed while the Trivandrum- Ernakulam section was connected by special trains for the flood period.

Routes and traffic in the worst-hit areas, including Aluva- Thrissur, Thrissur-Shoranur, Kayamkulam-Kottayam- Ernakulam Shoranur-Tirur, Shoranur- Palakkad have been fixed. Few special trains are also operational via Trivandrum, Tirunelveli, and Madurai to Chennai, Egmore, Howarah, Gorakhpur, Bhubaneswar routes to evacuate the stranded people across the state.

Besides that, the Southern Railway had begun running 159 Express trains and 11 passenger trains to ease the communication system all over Kerala. Efforts to restore other essential services are also in full swing with phone connectivity has been restored 90 per cent of the state. As per the concerned authority, the issues of water scarcity, lack of fuel and animal fodder are also being resolved. Necessary steps will be taken to eradicate water carried diseases, especially in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

Kerala has been devastated by the worst-hit floods in nearly 100 years. The death toll has already climbed up to 324 ever since the second spell of monsoon fury hit the southern state on August 8. The maximum deaths were reported from Idukki district, where 43 people have lost their lives so far. The disastrous flood has claimed twenty-eight lives in Malappuram and 27 in Thrissur.