To help Kerala, Railways goes the extra mile

New Delhi, Aug 19: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that his ministry was doing everything to help people stranded in flood-hit Kerala.

According to state disaster management authority, 194 people have lost their lives and 36 are missing in Kerala since August 8 due to rains and landslides, while over 3.14 lakh people have been moved to relief camps.

"We are concerned about the well being of people affected by Kerala floods & the Central government is committed to providing all possible help.

"Railways will now provide free transportation of relief material for Kerala through various State Govt. agencies, PSUs and other Government agencies," Goyal tweeted.

While rakes of 14 trains with drinking water is being sent from Pune, 15 rakes of mail will set off from Gujarat's Ratlam.

According to a statement by railways yesterday, a special train with seven open wagons (BRN) containing tanks carrying 2.8 lakh litre of drinking water was dispatched from Erode station in Tamil Nadu on Friday.

The Railways has made arrangements for the emergency movement of drinking water by this train to Kerala.