MANGALURU: Indian Coast Guard – Karnataka has stepped up efforts to come to aid of flood affected people in neighbouring Kerala. The maritime defence force on Tuesday too continued to send relief material to Kerala from its air enclave at old airport in Bajpe flying two sorties using Dornier aircraft , each sortie with around 700-kgs of relief material to Kochi with plans to run a separate sortie on Wednesday with around 800-kgs of perishables.S S Dasila, commander, Coast Guard Karnataka said authorities at Airport Authority of India have received nearly 800-kgs of buns and bakery item. It will be our first priority to air dash the same to on-going relief efforts in Kerala, he said, adding Coast Guard is also supplying medicines to airports in Calicut and Kochi. “We sent around 20-25-kgs of essential medicines to Kochi flood relief effort with other materials needed there on Monday,” he said.Coast Guard authorities on Tuesday received nearly one tonnes of medicine supplied by the Udupi district administration, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Rotary Clubs in Udupi, department of health and family welfare, taluk health office, Kundapur as well as the Karnataka Government Doctors’ Association. These have been loaded on to ICGS Vikram at New Mangalore Port and will set sail for Kochi latest by August 24, Dasila told TOI.At present, more than 25 tonnes of relief material has been stored on board ICGS Vikram, he said adding the ship will set sail once sufficient non-perishable material has been received. Dasila lauded the spirit shown by students of MAHE who helped load the medicines on board ICGS Vikram. Incidentally, India Coast Guard has already dispatched ICGS Sankalp with relief material for Kochi from New Mangalore Port, Dasila said.

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