Ravi Pillai contributes Rs 5 crore to CM's relief fund

Thiruvananthapuram: R P Group chairman B Ravi Pillai has contributed Rs 5 crore to the chief minister’s relief fund. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan received the cheque in his office. Agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar was also present.

Pillai said that he had distributed 10 kilograms of rice, payasam kits and new clothes to 2,000 selected people from Kollam, Kovalam, Malappuram and Kozhikode on the occasion of Onam.

He also said that he would continue to offer free flight tickets for Malayali expatriates to return home after the general amnesty in Dubai.

Torrential rains, overflowing rivers and a series of landslides ravaged Kerala, where 40 lives have been lost so far.

Unabated rains forced the government to do away with the official 'Onam' celebrations and the amount set apart for the purpose would be utilised for relief operations, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Governor P Sathasivam also decided to cancel the reception to be hosted by him on August 15 as part of Independence Day celebrations due to the floods in the state.

At least 20,000 houses were fully destroyed in the deluge and about 30,000 persons had taken shelter in relief camps.

The rains and landslides had destroyed 10,000 km of roads in the state, Pinarayi said.

As per the preliminary estimate, Kerala suffered a loss of Rs 8,316 crore in the heavy rains, which have been lashing the state since August 8.

The weatherman has warned of heavy rains in some places in the state till August 18.

Fishermen have been warned against putting out to sea.