Rajasthan CM meets storm-affected in Bharatpur, Dholpur

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Friday visited several villages in Bharatpur and Dholpur and met the people affected by a dust storm that lashed the two districts apart from Alwar.

She spoke to survivors of the natural calamity and assured of help from her government.

A dust storm with speed exceeding 100 km per hour had lashed the three districts, leading to the deaths of at least 31 persons and injuries to around 100 others.

Raje visited Januthar village in Bharatpur district and condoled the deaths due to the storm.

She also visited Lebde village in Basedi panchayat in Dholpur, where she met those injured in a fire that rendered many villagers homeless. Around 200 houses were gutted in the fire following the storm.

The Chief Minister walked across Lebde to take stock of rehabilitation measures.

A visibly emotional Raje said: "You need not worry about anything. If you cry, my heart will pain too. We are all with you and will do whatever we can to rehabilitate you," she added. She announced donations of Rs 5 lakh each for the affected families.

Raje also met two young women Pinky and Pushpa, whose marriage was fixed for May 11, and announced Rs 55,000 each to their families under Shubh Shakti Yojana after knowing that wedding gifts brought for them had been gutted in the fire.

She directed the District Collector to take the help of social groups to ensure their marriages were solemnised without hiccups.

The Chief Minister instructed the officials to make people aware of weather alerts on similar storms in the near future.

The relief and rescue teams should also be made aware of the same so that they can in turn make people aware of preventive steps to be taken, she said.

The Meteorological Department has been uploading warnings on its website frequently on the inclement weather, but there was no update given to the government machinery that led to massive destruction in the dessert state.

Raje offered floral tributes to victims hailing from Janudhar village.

Earlier, Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf offered cheques for Rs 4 lakh each to the bereaved families.

Officials in Bhamashah announced that those injured in the calamity will be given help in cash to ensure timely treatment.

--IANS

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