The toll in the rain-flood ravaged Maharashtra mounted to 149 on Sunday, even as the number of people evacuated from the affected areas of the State climbed to 2,29,074 and the various agencies continued relief and rescue operations in the State.
A day after the rain-flood mishap casualties rose to 112, the various central and state agencies recovered 37 more bodies, taking the total number of people killed in landslides, house crashes, floods and various other rain-related incidents to 149.
While a maximum of 60 people were killed in Raigad district in Konkan region, Satara district in western Maharashtra accounted for 41 persons. The death tally in other places comprised: Ratnagiri-21, Thane-12, Kolhapur-7, Mumbai-4, Sindhdurg and Pune-2 each. authorities pegged the number of injured persons at 50 and the killed cattle and other animals at 3249, while 64 persons were reported missing from various rain-flood affected areas of the State.
With the floods having not receded in most parts of the coastal Konkan region, the relief and rescue agencies evacuated as many 2,29,074 people to safer places in western Maharashtra and Konkan region. The worst flood-hit district of Sangli in western Maharashtra accounted for a maximum 1,69,998 evacuations, while 40,882 people were shifted to safer places in the neighbouring Kolhapur district.
The number of people evacuated in other affected districtsm is as follows: Satara-7530, Thane—6930, Ratnagiri—1200, Sindhudurg—1271, Raigad—1000 and Pune—263.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who visited flood-affected district of Ratnagiri, said merely for the sake of getting some publicity, he would not make any announcement about compensation to the affected people immediately, but would such an announcement after taking stock of the rain-floods situation in the entire State.
“The rain and the consequent floods wreaked havoc in places like Chiplun, Mahad and Khed. The people have suffered huge losses. The state government will do everything to ensure that you are back on your feet,”
The Chief Minister said he had already spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. “The Centre has promised deployment of more teams of NDRF, Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) to tackle the flood in the affected areas in the State. Let’s wait and see as to what kind of assistance we will get from the Centre”.
“Let me complete my on ground assessment first. Then we will sit across, discuss things and make a realistic demand to the Centre…Because of Covid-19 pandemic, the economy is in a bad shape. We all know about it. We would need Centre’s help in long-term mitigation measures. On the basis of assistance that we will receive from the Centre that we will decide on, we will come out for the rain and flood people in the State,” the chief minister said.
“The Army, Navy, Air Force are on the job, while the NDRF and Coast Guard are working 24x7…The SDRF and other State Government and district agencies are working round-the-clock,” Uddhav said, while talking to media persons in flood-affected Chiplun town of Ratnagiri District.
In a related development, Union MSMEs Minister Narayan Rane assured the Maharashtra government that the Centre would provide necessary help to the State.
Rane, accompanied by former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in Assembly Devendra Fadnavis and his counterpart in Council Pravin Dareker visited landslide-affected Taliye village of Raigad district. “The Centre will surely help…the Prime Minister has asked me to visit the flood-affected areas. On return to New Delhi, I will submit a report to the Prime Minister,” Rane said.
Replying to a question, Rane said: “It is not time to indulge in blame game…who would have ever thought that this kind of calamity would befall us”.
“It is a difficult situation for the state. Rane is a senior leader, he will table a report…definitely help will come from Centre,” Fadnavis said.
Meanwhile, the Navy, Army and NDRF teams used helicopters and the Army used vehicles to rescue hundreds stranded people, while daring personnel of NDRF moved in uncharted areas in orange-rafts to rescue people and reach out relief to the people in the worstr flood-hit districts of Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara in western Maharashtra.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is personally monitoring the situation in the three Western Maharashtra districts. Pawar also spoke to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and informed him of the ground situation in the region.
“I am going to Satara today and tomorrow I will go to Sangli and Kolhapur. We are constantly in touch with Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg officials,” Pawar said.
Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil visited the affected areas in Satara and Sangli and moved in rafts, motor-cycle and even an open truck to reach out to people wading in knee-deep waters.
Meanwhile, State Housing Minister Jitendra Ahwad tweeted that the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority ( MHADA), which comes under his ministry, would take up complete responsibility for rebuilding and resettlement of Taliye village in Mahad tehsil of Raigad district. “Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar have asked him to undertake the work of re-building the village, where more than 50 people were killed in a landslide on Thursday.