Mamata talks to Vijayan, assures city Malayalees of all help

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that she has spoken to her Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan over phone about the safety of the relatives of Malayalees residing in the city and the Bengalis living in the flood-ravaged state.

Banerjee said this when members of the Confederation of Kolkata Malayalee Organisation (COKMO) called on her at her residence today.

She also assured the COKMO members of all cooperation and also assured them of making arrangement for special trains to ferry their relatives, Bengali tourists and other Bengalis living there to their homes.

COKMO general secretary K Nandakumar told PTI that he had informed Banerjee that there are 25 lakh Bengalis living in Kerala and they are facing problem in returning for want of trains.

She assured to arrange for special trains and buses for those stranded and assured the city Malayalees to monitor the situation and take requisite steps, he added.

"We thanked Mamata Banerjee for her kind support. She gave enough time and patient hearing. We submitted our memorandum personally. She assured us of all coperation," Nandakumar said.

Expressing concern over the situation in Kerala, Banerjee said that though a lot of relief materials and money was being sent to it the situation needs more support.

The West Bengal chief minister had earlier announced that the state would donate Rs 10 crore as flood relief to Kerala.