1600 from Assam to return home from flood-ravaged Kerala today

GUWAHATI: A Guwahati-bound special

train

carrying about 1600 affected passengers has left flood-ravaged Kerala's Trivandrum and is expected to reach here on Thursday, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said. All the passengers in the train are from Assam who were stranded in the Kerala flood, that has claimed over 300 lives.

ASDMA chief executive officer, Rajesh Prasad told TOI that the ASDMA, along with Assam Bhawan in Kolkata, has made arrangements for providing food, water and medical help to the passengers at Howrah station. "The same train will bring the passengers to Guwahati, and then will move to Silchar. ASDMA is in constant touch with Kerala counterpart to help people of Assam stranded in the flood-hit state," Prasad said.

An estimated 60,000 people from the state work in Kerala, and ASMDA officials said that all of them are safe, but desperate to return home. "We are making all arrangements with the help of our counterpart in Kerala in providing them with train and flight tickets so that they can come back to their home state," an ASDMA official said.

Chandra Prabha Bordoloi, along with three other women from Morigaon and Darrang districts who went to Kerala's Chengannur as part of NEDFi delegation to showcase products made of water hyacinth earlier this month, reached here on Wednesday after spending a harrowing time for almost of a week since the deluge devastated the state. The Kerala government helped them to board a flight from Trivandrum on Wednesday.

"We grew up with floods in Assam, but the scale we experienced in Kerala is several times more devastating and scary. I will never forget the experience," Chandra Prabha said, breathing a sigh of relief after her flight landed here.

"We could not attend the stall made for showcasing our products because of the surge in flood waters. Since August 14, we were confined in a hotel. But Kerala government helped us with water and food. Also it has arranged a vehicle to carry us up to the airport to board the flight," Chandra Prabha, a resident of Borsilagaon in Morigaon district, said.

Other women were Manasi Bordoloi of Haladiati gaon in Morigaon district, Menawati Boro Nath and Renu Deka of Mangaldo in Darrang district. Many from Assam working in Kerala have also volunteered to provide relief, arranging train and flight tickets to residents of their home state stranded in the flood. Mohammad Rahimul Alam from Hojai, who runs a perfume business with his elder brother Rubel Ahmed in Cochin, have helped nearly 300 people from Assam stranded in the flood in different parts of Ernakulam district.

"We are doing whatever ways we can to help people from our home state," Alam said.