UP floods: Yogi Adityanath says state govt stands with all citizens

With parts of Uttar Pradesh grappling with floods, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said the life of every citizen is very valuable and his government stands with all people of the state.

He visited the flood-affected areas in Siddharthnagar, Maharajganj and Gorakhpur districts.

Addressing a gathering at Shahpur Mandi Parishad in Domariyaganj tehsil of Siddharthnagar, the chief minister said the flood-affected people are being provided with ration.

He asked officials to prepare a list of farmers whose crops were destroyed due to the deluge so that they can be provided financial assistance.

Adityanath had said on Friday that a total of 15 districts in the state have been affected by the deluge -- the third witnessed by the state this year. He had also conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in Gonda, Bahraich and Balrampur districts on Friday.

The CM said on Saturday that for the past two weeks, owing to heavy rains in Nepal, the water levels in rivers Rapti and Burhi Rapti have increased, leading to the flooding of nearby areas. Every effort is being made to provide help to the people of Domariyaganj and Naugarh tehsil.

"The life of every citizen is very valuable and the government stands with all citizens. The flood-affected people are being given 10 kg rice, 2 kg pulses, salt, wheat flour, spices, edible oil and other necessary things. The provision of fodder has also been made for animals," Adityanath said.

He said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other forces have been deployed for carrying out relief and rescue operations. Instructions have been given that people should be provided nutritious food.

He said people whose houses were damaged in the floods would be provided new ones under the 'Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana'.

"The flood-affected families are being provided ration and oral rehydration solutions (ORS) as they are vulnerable to ailments such as dehydration and diarrhoea due to flooding. Dry ration is being given and meals are being provided through community kitchens," he said.

Snake venom antidote and anti-rabies vaccines are being supplied to the flooded areas, he also said.

The chief minister cautioned the people against spread of vector-borne and water-borne diseases once flood water recedes and appealed to them to join the state government's special sanitation drive from September 5 to 12.

After conducting an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in Gorakhpur, the CM said that although all measures to control the situation were taken, it deteriorated due to heavy downpour in the last 15 days.

He said as many as 304 villages are affected in Gorakhpur and rivers are flowing far above the danger level. He said 405 boats and steamers have been deployed for rescue and relief operations.

Sufficient resources and funds have been given to the districts to provide relief to the affected people, he said.

The chief minister also distributed relief materials in Chauri Chaura, Khajni and Sahjanwa areas.

While distributing relief material among the flood-affected people in Maharajganj district, the chief minister said, "Within three days sufficient relief material will reach all the flood-affected villages in Maharajganj."

"It is predicted that flood situation will continue till September 15, so we need to be vigilant," he said.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu visited the flood-hit areas in Kushinagar district on Saturday and targeted the authorities over the situation.

Instead of taking steps to deal with the problem of flooding, the BJP government has been busy organising festivals and using public money for erecting hoardings and banners to gain publicity and mislead people, he alleged.

Lallu demanded prompt and proper compensation to the affected people.