Restore electricity, water supply in Maharashtra’s flood-ravaged areas: Uddhav Thackeray

A railway track in the ghar section near Mumbai. Pic/ Central Railway

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday directed the administration to restore electricity and water supply in flood-hit areas at the earliest as the state slowly emerges out of the large-scale devastation caused by heavy rains and deluge.

Thackeray said a flood warning system will be in place in the coastal Konkan region, badly hit by landslides and heavy rains over the last few days, in three months. He asked the state administration to take up repair work of roads and bridges damaged due to the floods on a war footing so that they can be reopened for traffic, said a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) here.

Thackeray said cleanliness and hygiene should be maintained in the affected areas to ensure there was no spread of diseases. He was speaking at a review meeting called here to take stock of the situation arising out of floods and heavy rains, and the extent of damages caused in several parts of Maharashtra, especially in Konkan and western parts of the state. In the meeting, officials informed that a total of 290 roads need to be taken up for repairs.

Vehicular traffic has been closed on 469 roads, while as many as 800 bridges have been damaged. As many as 14,737 electricity transformers have been damaged. Out of 9.59 lakh power consumers affected, 6.5 lakh consumers have got back electricity in their homes and premises, the statement said.

As many as 17 villages in Ratnagiri and 20 villages in Sindhdurg, both in Konkan, are being supplied drinking water by tankers, it said. Water supply schemes in 746 villages have been impacted in the floods. Thackeray sought comprehensive details of the extent of damage and financial assistance required, the statement said.

He said protection walls against floods and strengthening infrastructure in hilly terrains also need to be worked upon. The chief minister suggested deploying drones for conducting "panchnamas" (survey of damage), the release said. He asked officials to work on strengthening the State Disaster Response Force and ensuring rehabilitation of landslide-hit villages at the earliest, it said.

So far, 164 people have died and 56 injured in rain-related incidents, including landslides in Maharashtra, while 100 others were still missing, the government said in a statement earlier in the day. As many as 2,29,074 people have been evacuated from the flood and rain-affected affected areas and moved to safer places till now, it said.

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