Bhopal: Three people stranded on a tree for about 24 hours and five others were rescued from flood-hit Shivpuri on Tuesday following "unprecedented heavy rains", officials said, adding that 1,171 villages in the Gwalior-Chambal region were affected by monsoon fury.
Bridge at Mata Mandir, Ratangarh (Datia district) on Sindh River, collapsed in flood on Tuesday. Similarly, Bridge of Lanch Pichore, also swept away in flood. Besides, bridge on Sindh river has developed cracks at Bhitarwar. Collapse of two bridges has deteriorated flood situation. District administration has been put on alert.
The Army has been called in for rescue operations in Shivpuri, Sheopur, Gwalior and Datia districts, state additional chief secretary (home) Rajesh Rajora said.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed about the situation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who assured of all help to the state.
Five people were rescued from the flood-hit Piproudha village in Shivpuri in the morning, officials said. Besides, three persons were stranded atop a tree in Beechi village of Shivpuri for 24 hours, Rajora said.
"A team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rescued them with the help of a boat on Tuesday," Chouhan told reporters. The CM said he will soon conduct an aerial survey of the flood affected areas of the state.
"A total of 1,171 villages were affected in the Gwalior-Chambal region due to excessive rainfall, especially Shivpuri and Sheopur, where an unprecedented 800 mm rainfall resulted in flooding," Chouhan said.
He said 1,600 people were so far rescued by teams of NDRF and SDRF, while 200 villages are still under the grip of floods, he said adding that boats were being used to rescue people from the affected areas.
"I am in touch with collectors and other officials of the flood-affected districts and people were sent on high-places for safety where relief camps too were started," he said. Because of heavy rains and bad weather, helicopters are unable to fly for the rescue operations, officials said.
The chief minister said that he is in constant touch with the administrations of rain-affected Shivpuri, Sheopur, Bhind and Datia districts and keeping a watch on the situation, they said.
Shivpuri in-charge minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia, local MLA and state minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia were also camping in the district control room to supervise the rescue operation.
The chief minister chaired an emergency meeting at the secretariat in the state capital Bhopal to monitor the rescue operation and to review the flood situation in Gwalior and Chambal divisions, an official said.
Cong MLA seeks help
Former minister and Congress MLA Ramniwas Rawat, in letter to CM, said, there is urgent need of army in region as rivers like Kuno, Sip, Aheli, Kwari are overflowing. Normal life has been paralysed. There is possibility of breach in water reservoirs. Morari Talab, Andhpura Talab, Virpur Talab, Gadhi reservoir may collapse anytime. (With PTI inputs)
