Two days after Kerala's finance minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, in a Facebook post, called upon Keralites to come forward and clean flood-ravaged Kuttanad so that sceptics like TV anchor Arnab Goswami would recognise the state's potential, around 70,000 people on Tuesday volunteered to take part in the drive.
Kuttanad, known as Kerala's rice bowl, is under silt and debris dumped by the worst floods in the state in 100 years.
Several areas in the region, which is below sea level, are still inundated, a week after the torrential rain that triggered the devastating deluge across the state stopped and water receded in most other parts.
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Thomas Isaac and PWD minister G. Sudhakaran had launched the drive in which nearly 70,000 volunteers will clean around one lakh buildings in Kainakary, Nedumudi and other areas of Kuttanad in Alappuzha district.
At least 1,000 engineers, IT volunteers and snake catchers carrying cleaning supplies have also joined the drive.
The volunteers reached Kuttanad in boats and buses and have fanned out across 16 panchayats to clear around one lakh buildings, including houses, public places and places of worship, of the slush and debris, Sudhakaran told reporters.
He said the initial plan was to complete the clean-up by August 30. However, since a large number of houses were still waterlogged, it would take more time, the minister added. Isaac said they were overwhelmed by the response as people from as far as northern Kannur district had come to help people clean their homes.
Isaac's Facebook post on Sunday was in response to a 30-second video clip of Republic TV's anchor Arnab Goswami purportedly calling 'a group' the 'most shameless bunch of Indians I have ever seen' went viral.
The context of his statement: the Kerala floods and the ongoing debate as to whether the United Arab Emirates actually offered Rs 700 crore to the state, which the Centre then turned down. Irate commentators and Malayalis said Goswami's comments were a blanket critique of the victims of the Kerala floods.