PUNE: The Indian Army’s Southern Command sent tonnes of rice, wheat, ready-to-eat meals, cooking oil, drinking water bottles and medicines to Kerala on Tuesday.“As the situation has improved in some parts, our focus is now on providing relief material,” said a senior officer. Also, the Command has received a derequisition order from the Kerala government. “The Infantry columns and Engineer Task Forces operating in north Kerala will call off rescue operations on Wednesday and report to their units. These units are mostly from the Defence Security Corps Centre and the Madras Engineering Group and Centre,” he said.Currently, most of the troops are operating in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta in south Kerala. “Till Tuesday, the troops had rescued 500 people from these places,” the officer said. Some of the ETFs are working on reopening roads and building temporary bridges. So far, the Command has reopened over 50 roads and constructed over 70 bridges.Meanwhile, two teams of ETFs of the 120 Engineer Regiment, from College of Military Engineering-Pune, have rescued 3,000 people since August 16. These teams also repaired a water treatment plant in Aluva and restored water supply. They are now repairing two more WTPs in nearby towns.

Stay updated with all the Pune Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.