The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) squad remained on toes since late night on Friday, after it rained in torrents in the whole city. The BMC employees rescued hundreds of people from low lying and flooded areas and shifted them to safe places. BMC used its resources and manpower extensively and collected 65,000 food packets. As many as 40,000 have already been distributed, while the remaining packets were being distributed during Saturday night.
Mayor Alok Sharma along with Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vishvas Sarang inspected Disaster Management Cell and directed the officials concerned to get the citizens immediate help. The Mayor has demanded Rs 100 crore from the disaster relief fund and also directed to bring Bhopal City link limited (BCll) buses to help the stranded people.
BMC Commissioner Chhavi Bharadwaj had also reached the affected areas on Friday night and directed the squad to help citizens.
On Friday night, the BMC squad not only tried to clear water logging, but also helped citizens using ropes, tyre tubes and other equipments. As many as 25,000 food packets were distributed in the afternoon and 40,000 in the evening. The squad also responded to the complaints regarding the street lights and electricity. Fallen trees were cleared from roads at different places. Mayor, in spite of being out of city collected information on the situation and as soon as he came back he reached among the affected people and visited the disaster management cell of the BMC along with Minister Vishwas Sarang.
There, he directed the officials concerned to assist the citizens in any kind of difficulty and in case of flooding respond at the earliest and supply food to the people stuck in flood.
As soon as the heavy rainfall started on Friday night, Bharadwaj went on inspecting the city at 1 am. She continued to inspect and directed the BMC squad to assist people stuck in flood. The addition Commissioners Chandramauli Shukla, GP Mali, BK Chaturvedi, MP Singh and other officials of the BMC were also present in the field directing the squad to help the citizens.
Bharadwaj also went to the disaster management cell and collected information of the activities in the city and directed the squad to respond accordingly.
Due to the heavy rainfall BMC has arranged for generators and 50 emergency lights and 10 mikes were purchased. Besides, more than 3,000 employees and officials, 20 JCBs, 20 dumper, 12 de-watering pumps, 10 sewage cleaning machines, 12 boats, six divers and rescue vans, fire fighters and tree cutting machines were pressed in service.
Till now, 300 complaints have been registered in the disaster management cell and they were received from lalita Nagar, Chhan, Ganesh Nagar, Mahamai Ka Baag, Jat Khedi, Chhola, Dwarka Nagar, Punjabi Bagh, Shahpura, Banganga, Devki Nagar, Sharda Nagar, Nariyal Kheda, DIG Bangla, Ashoka Garden and Govindpura industrial area, Atyantoday Nagar, Semra, Khushipura, Chandband, Rajiv Nagar, Data Colony, Nehru Nagar and Bairagarh.