In a letter to the All India Federation of Master Printers, R Gopakumar, the newly-elected president of Kerala Master Printers Association (KMPA) highlighted the efforts taken by the association and the assistance they need to rehabilitate the printers who have amassed massive losses due to the unprecedented floods in Kerala.

In his update, Gopakumar said, “We have spoken to major machine manufacturers and their agents to ensure speedy service intervention at damaged units; so that our printers can get their machines up and running at the minimum possible time.”

“Secondly, we have started giving printers information about the SOPs to be taken care of whilst preparing insurance claims,” he added.

“We spoke to the IPAMA President too. So that their members can be updated. Many IPAMA manufacturer members have their machines running at our printing units. We have requested their timely support in the above exercise,” he said.

The association in an extraordinary executive committee meeting has decided to form a special team which will visit individual printing units and assess the damage in a systematic manner. This team will be headed by the KMPA president. A detailed report of the damages suffered by the printers of Kerala will be furnished.

According to the initial assessment, more than Rs 50 crore would be the accumulated loss of the printers of Kerala over the last one week.

“And we believe the worst is yet to come. As the flood waters have slowly started to recede, the magnitude of the disaster is unfolding in front of our eyes. We personally saw printing units completely/partially submerged with their owners and employees homeless. For most of such brother printers, their life’s work and earnings have been destroyed in a few moments of nature’s fury. A very large number of the employees and their family members are in relief camps without access to even basic necessities. Without our generous support, most of our fellow printers will not be able to get back on their feet at all,” said Gopakumar.