The flood toll in Sangli, Kolhapur and three other districts of Pune revenue division mounted to 43 on Monday, even as the Maharashtra Government — in a surprise move — clamped prohibitory orders in Kolhapur district for 12 days from Monday, anticipating trouble during Bakri Eid, Independence Day and Dahi Handi.
Sangli, which is one of the two worst flood-hit districts after Kolhapur, accounted for 21 deaths that included 12 persons killed in a boat tragedy on Thursday last, while seven deaths each were reported from Kolhapur, Satara and Pune districts. There was one rain-related death in Solapur district. Three persons are reported to be missing.
At a time when the authorities continued to carry on the relief work on a massive scale, the Kolhapur district administration clamped section 37 (1) and 37 (3) of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951 relating powers prohibiting certain acts for prevention of disorder for 12 days beginning from Thursday.
In a statement issued after clamping prohibitory orders from August 12 to August 24, Additional District Collector Sanjay Shinde said that they were anticipating some trouble from flood victims and citizens during Bakri Eid (August , Independence Day and Dahi Handi. “We do not rule out the possibility of political parties and social organisations — taking advantage of these occasions — resorting to suicides, fast-unto-death and relay hunger strike in the district. These may result in untoward incidents and law & order problems. That’s why we have chosen to impose prohibitory orders,” the Additional Collector said.
Slamming the state for clamping prohibitory orders in Kolhapur district, the Opposition leaders charged that the State Government — through its prohibitory orders — was trying to cover up its failure to handle the flood situation effectively.
“They are resorting to such tactics since the people are fuming with anger since the past nearly two weeks. Is this a democracy or the rule of Gen. Dwyer”? NCP’s Maharashtra spokesperson and Mumbai unit chierf Nawab Malik asked. Stae Congress President Balasaheb Thorat said: “Instead of cooperating with the people and rushing them all aid materials, the state has resorted to prohibitory orders”.
Though there was a noticeable drop in flooding in Sangli, Kolhapur and three other districts of western Maharashtra, as many as many as 46 villages — involving a total of 66,837 families — continued to be inaccessible for the sixth consecutive day. Of the total marooned villages, Kohapur accounted for a maximum of 18 villages, while there were such 16 and 12 such inaccessible villages Solapur and Sangli districts. “We have so far evacuated 78,484 people from these marooned villages, Pune Divisional Commissioner Dr Deepak Mahaisekar said.
“We are continuing to shift the marooned people to relief camps. So far, we have evacuated 4,74,226 marooned people and moved them to 596 relief camps set up across five districts of the Pune revenue division. In Sangli and Kolhapur districts, we have collectively evacuated 4,74,226 people and moved them to 370 relief camps,” Mahaisekar said
In a related development, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has sent Mumbai's Municipal Commissioner Parveen Pardeshi to Sangli and Satara to coordinate the relief operations. Pardeshi, who was the district collector during the 1993 Latur earthquake, has the expertise to deal with the relief work during natural calamities.
Simultaneously, the Maharashtra Government has urged the RBI and largest public sector bank SBI to make ATMs operations functional in the flood-hit areas. State chief secretary Ajoy Mehta is in touch with SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar in the regard.