Men and women of the Indian Air Force who conducted rescue missions in Kerala's worst deluge speak to Rediff.com's Archana Masih.
Security has been tightened in all three airports in Kerala -- Thiruvananthapuram ,Kochi and Kozhikode -- after a warning from the Air India Mumbai office that there is a possibility of an LTTE attack on Kerala airports.
Incessant downpour battered several states, including Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka, on Friday, with landslips and floods throwing normal life out of gear.
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan jointly flagged off the inaugural Air India Express flight, carrying 186 passengers to Abu Dhabi.
Chaired by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha and attended by chiefs of the three services, secretaries of home, defence and others, the National Crisis Management Committee took stock of the prevailing situation in Kerala and directed all concerned to ensure continued assistance to the state government to meet the crisis, a home ministry spokesperson said.
'Unlike on the western and eastern borders where there is an enemy at the gate, here there is an invisible enemy which is building its own capability and can come into play at a time and place of his choosing.'
Mufti said the Bharat Jodo Yatra was like a breath of fresh air in Kashmir as it allowed people to come out of their homes in numbers for the first time since 2019.
India's largest airline has also told its crew members -- who are working on flights connecting India with East Asian countries like Thailand and Singapore -- to wear N95 masks at all times when they are on ground.
The railways also rolled out its first orange coloured Vande Bharat Express from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram, a high demand route which now operates two such trains, a senior Indian Railways official said.
'We hear about Chanda Mama from our childhood.' 'I am excited by the idea of seeing it with my eyes.'
The national capital received heavy precipitation resulting in waterlogging on several roads and traffic jams at various intersections.
'Reluctance to go against temple rituals is understandable and the Hindu vote bank is extremely important at the ensuing elections.' 'But even the devout Hindus will not hold it against the government if the opportunity presented by the tragedy is utilised at least for a temporary ban.' 'Later, it may be too late as it might dawn on people that a hundred lives are not too much of a sacrifice to save a tradition,' says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Kerala has seen one of the worst floods in its history during this monsoon. From August 8 to 20, nearly 223 people have lost their lives, 33 are missing and around 1.2 million individuals from 3,02,441 families are in 3,941 relief camps. Initial losses are estimated to be around Rs 200 billion (Rs 20,000 crore). With the rescue measures in its last leg, the Kerala government is looking at raising funds to rebuild the state. In an interaction with Gireesh Babu and T E Narasimhan, Kerala Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac says he has a three-pronged strategy to raise funds. Edited Excerpts.
Malappuram district police sources said some steel pieces were found near the blast site and it is suspected that a 'pressure cooker' was used to trigger it.
The situation in the state was 'extremely grave', said Vijayan, who spoke to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Home minister, Rajnath Singh, this morning seeking more central assistance for relief operations.
A 3-0 victory over Delhi 3-0 gave Kerala their second victory in the three-team quarter-final league in the National football championship.
The Department of Tourism said that a five-member committee has been formed to investigate if the resort was following the standards set by the government.
Joginder Tuteja gives us the half yearly box office report of 2023.
The court premises witnessed high drama as the police forcefully took the duo into custody from the court complex.
Villages are flooded, roads have washed away and railway tracks have submerged under the rising waters.
'The situation is quite bad. We are trying to rescue people. Right now we are giving them food and water so that they can at least survive until the water recedes,' says Squadron leader V Joshi.
'A lot of unauthorised encroachments have taken place in our forest area.' 'The landslides are partly because of such encroachments.' 'The other factor is deforestation.' 'Protection of forest resources is not on the agenda of any government.' 'The damage caused by the rain in Kerala is a man-made factor.'
At the Leo fete, Vijay had this also to tell his fans: 'I know you all are in my heart. But today, I also know that I am also in the hearts of all of you...' A typical politician's line, did you say, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
The maximum death toll has been reported from Idukki district, where 43 people have lost their lives so far, as per official estimates. 28 deaths were reported in Malappuram and 27 in Thrissur.
In what could be the first, state-sponsored airline company in the country, the Kerala cabinet on Wednesday gave an in-principle approval for setting up an aviation company in the joint sector to operate international services.
International and Indian airlines are refusing to refund cash and giving credit that can be used later.
106 people died on a single day on Thursday.
A village gets electricity after 75 years. A rare bird rescued. Why Kashmiris love Harisa. Do watch these interesting videos.
The media in Kerala seems obsessed with women and sex, says Shobha Warrier.
As part of its efforts to connect smaller towns and cities in the country, Air Deccan is commencing its services to five new destinations--including Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode in Kerala from February 1.
Diwali is a season in India for sweet-making. A treasure of traditional Diwali recipes from all corners of our India.
Expatriates from Kerala have launched a campaign against government carriers Air India and Indian Airlines for frequently cancelling and delaying flights at the Calicut International airport and demanded an open sky policy for international carriers.
Focus on nutrition, tailor-made training for specific opponents key to Prannoy's success.
It is yet to be ascertained as to what exactly caused the phenomena, but there is a possibility that the crater might be caused by a meteor
V Thulasidas, Air India Chairman and Managing Director, has announced a bonanza package of 2,000 additional seats comprising seven additional flights from Kerala to destinations in the Gulf and Middle East.
Over 7.24 lakh displaced people have been sheltered in 5,645 relief camps dotting the state, they said.
Although the leaders are not on same page on many matters related to the party, they have apparently come together to check Tharoor's larger political ambition in the state, they said.
Air India and Viva Kerala played out a 1-1 draw in a third round I-League encounter at the Cooperage in Mumbai on Monday
The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed the Centre's denial of security clearance to Malayalam news channel MediaOne, and pulled up the ministry of home affairs for raising national security claims in "thin air" without facts.
The incident is said to have occurred in the wee hours when a huge mound of earth fell on the 'row houses' and two children and five women were among the deceased, most of whom were plantation workers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
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