Mysore:  Cyclone Fani has taken the lives of 16 people in Odisha so far and the Government mounted a massive restoration work across 10,000 villages and 52 urban areas ravaged by the storm that pounded coastal parts, affecting nearly one crore people.

Coming to the rescue of flood-affected people, Mysuru-based Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) is preparing more than one lakh ready-to-eat meals for distribution in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

Teams at the premier institute, which had sent food and relief material to Kerala during floods in 2018 and to flood victims of Uttarakhand in 2013, are working round-the-clock to prepare food for the affected people.

The effort is being led by Dr. K.S.M.S. Raghavarao, Director, along with more 1,000 students, staff and their family members.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Raghavarao said that the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) placed orders with CFTRI to prepare food for more than 1 lakh people. “We have a target of preparing 25 tonnes of food that can be consumed by over 1,25,000 people. The first batch of 5 tonnes will be despatched by today evening or tomorrow morning,” he said.

“We have completed the procurement of raw materials and are working overtime to prepare ready-to-eat Chapatis, upma, poha, rusk, biscuits and other bakery products. While the Chapatis are ready-to-eat, there are two types of upma that can be eaten after either pouring hot water or cold water into the pouch. If hot water is poured, it will take 10 minutes for the upma to cook and if it is cold water, it will take 20 minutes,” Raghavarao explained.

Water can be poured directly into the pouches eliminating the need of vessels to cook. “Over 200 students and 1,000 employees actively supported by their families including women and children are involved in packing the food items,” he said. The rusk prepared is with high protein that can be served to aged people, women and children.

The first batch will be airlifted from Mysore Airport either today or tomorrow. “We are in close contact with Indian Air Force and they will decide the air-lifting time depending on the weather conditions in Odisha. Consignments will be sent through trucks to Mysore Airport from where they will be airlifted. If there is inclement weather in Bhubaneswar, the consignment will reach Vizag and from there it will be transported to Bhubaneswar by road,” he added.