Kerala CM Thanks Armed Forces For Their Help, Says Will Forever Remain Indebted

Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan thanked the armed forces for their timely help and relief operations during the Kerala Floods in a farewell ceremony at Sankumugham Air Force Station in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (26 August), Times of India has reported. He also said that people of Kerala would forever remain indebted to them.

“But for the intervention of armed forces including Army, Navy, National Disaster Response Force, Border Security Force, Coast Guard, the number of casualties would have gone up substantially”, he said at the function.

The Chief Minister presented citations to officers representing various forces which read, “The people of Kerala value, recognise and honour your exceptional, tireless and timely assistance at the time of a severe calamity and crisis during the floods of 2018 for bringing relief and succour to the lives of thousands of citizens. The high degree of commitment and professionalism displayed by you and your team contributed in a large measure to the state’s rescue and relief efforts.”

“Our debt cannot be expressed in words”, the Kerala CM said during the event. Air Marshal B Suresh said that the disaster situation was a war-like and clear directions of the CM helped during the relief operations. The air marshal also lauded the “spirit and strength” of Malayalis in handling the crisis and overcoming difficulties.