Sehore |
FPJ News Service
Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said, “Protecting lives is more important than saving their wealth.”
“Loss of properties is immaterial,” he said at a press conference before leaving for aerial survey of flood-hit areas. The pounding rain has inundated hundreds of villages, rendering thousands of people roofless. Chouhan conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit areas in Hoshangabad, Sehore among other districts on Sunday. He called a high-level meeting to review the flood situation in the state.
He also updated PM Modi on the flood. “I explained the situation to him in the morning. We have received his support. We continued rescue operations overnight,” he said. “Floods have wreaked havoc in more than 454 villages in 12 districts. So far, 10,000 people have been rescued,” Chouhan added.
He said 8 people were killed in rain-related incidents in last 24 hours. Efforts were on on a war-footing to evacuate 1,200 people stranded in 40 villages. So far, 9,300 people are staying in 170 relief camps in the state.
The CM spoke to defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday night for Army help after which 3 helicopters of the Indian Air Force were pressed into service to airlift the stranded people. The government sought 2 more choppers.
The monsoon activity has moved to western Madhya Pradesh. Heavy rainfall is expected in Indore, Ujjain, Shajapur, Ratlam, Dewas, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Mandsaur and Neemuch over the next 24 hours. Authorities in these districts have been alerted,” Chouhan said.
IAF choppers airlift people
The Indian Air Force helicopters airlifted people from flood-affected areas of Somalwada in Sehore. As many as 25 people, including women and children, were rescued by IAF personnel from Somalwada.
5 stranded people were airlifted in from Chhindwara. 3 persons trapped in a village in Balaghat district were also evacuated.
A family in Valwat village in Hoshangabad district was rescued by a boat. 5 people, including two infants, in the family were stranded in the flood. Rajkumari Keer, Arti Keer, a boy aged 3 years, girls aged 5 months and 2 months were evacuated safely. Similar rescue operations were held in Chhindwara, Balaghat, Sehore, Dewas, Seoni and Raisen districts. The five people of Sehore district stranded in Narela village were rescued at 2.30am.
In other states
-- 3 minor sisters die as house collapses in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot.
-- Over 600 villages in 16 UP dists have been hit, with the Sharda and the Saryu rivers flowing above the danger mark.
-- Heavy rain in Gujarat; over 2,000 people from Narmada riverbank shifted.
-- As many as 17 people have died so far and over 14 lakh people in 20 dists were affected in Odisha floods.
