Alappuzha sub-collector Krishna Teja (Center) during ‘Operation Kuttanad’

HYDERABAD: A Telugu IAS officer is being hailed as a hero in the devastating floods in Kerala as his timely intervention has resulted in two lakh people being evacuated to safety in just 48 hours in what has come to be known as 'Operation Kuttanad '.

Krishna Teja Mylavarapu from Chilkalurpet in Guntur of Andhra Pradesh is the sub-collector of Alappuzha. As soon as Krishna Teja was posted as sub-collector of Alappuzha , he did what he loved to do most. In about two or three months, he practically travelled across the entire area under his jurisdiction, not once but several times. He had absolute knowledge of low-lying areas and when it struck him that the area could be flooded, he got down to action.

"Overnight, we got hundreds of boats, kept personnel ready and plunged into action in the morning," Krishna Teja told TOI on phone from Alappuzha late on Sunday night. At 10pm on August 16, it was clear that disaster would strike. He was in a meeting with Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac at that time. Both decided there was no time to lose. The opening of dams, as it happened, would certainly inundate Kuttanad and Krishna Teja calculated in how much time the water would reach.

Realising fully well the need of the hour, Krishna Teja got policemen onto the boats to ensure that there would be no hurdles in the evacuation as there was some resistance from people. At the break of dawn on August 17, Krishna Teja and Thomas Isaac were totally engaged in rescue and evacuation operations. "The thought of me being in danger did not strike me. I was completely engrossed in the rescue operations. Yes, there have been times when the water came up to my shoulder level," Krishna Teja said.

While 48-hour operation was the toughest, it was also the most satisfying for him. Did he think he would encounter such a situation? "I got into the IAS to serve. And this was what I got to do," he said.

All the evacuated two lakh people have been put up in camps and they are being provided all amenities and food. Asked what relief material the flood victims needed in his area, Krishna Teja said: "They have lost everything." Krishna Teja's work has gone viral on social media as well.

