Kottayam: Govt negligence and lack of coordination between departments deepened the impact of the floods in Kottayam district and contributed to the rising death toll, CPM state secretariat member V N Vasavan alleged at a news conference here on Saturday.Vasavan said govt failed to take adequate precautions or intervene in time. He said warning should have been issued to landslide-prone areas so the families could be relocated and that ambulance services should have been stationed at relief camps that are difficult for vehicles to access. Two patients died after failing to get ambulance access, he claimed.He said water levels in Kumarakom, Thiruvarppu, Aymanam, Arpookkara, Neendoor and Vechoor have not receded because the Thanneermukkam bund’s shutters remain closed, trapping water that flowed in from the east. “Authorities should have ensured an outlet for the water into Vembanad Lake,” he said.“At a relief camp in Changanassery, food was not properly arranged in the initial phase,” Vasavan alleged. He said authorities did not arrange hospital transport for a camp inmate who showed signs of a stroke and that the local MLA reacted angrily when a journalist raised the issue.“In Kumarakom, jointly administered by the UDF and BJP, the panchayat president reportedly messaged a WhatsApp group telling residents not to come to the relief camp, citing a lack of facilities and water,” Vasavan said.He said traders in Erattupetta suffered losses to the tune of crores of rupees, with relief efforts led largely by voluntary groups including Team Emergency, Nanmakkoottam and Team Rescue. Pala also saw significant damage and crop losses were widespread across the district. Vasavan demanded a relief package for affected traders.He also called for a house to be built for the family of Johny of Payyanithottam in Poonjar Thekkekara, who lost his wife, son and home in a landslide. Vasavan criticised the Poonjar MLA for travelling to United States the day after the disaster.CPM district secretary T R Raghunathan and district secretariat member K M Radhakrishnan also attended the news conference.
