Sharad Pawar to visit Vidarbha to assess rain related damages

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar will arrive here tomorrow to assess the damage caused by excess rainfall and floods in Vidarbha region last month.

A central team led by Union Home Ministry's Joint Secretary Gopal Reddy is already visiting the region to make an assessment.

During his four-day visit, a presentation will be made to Pawar on excess rainfall, floods and subsequent damages at the district collectorate here on September 14.

He will later visit Wardha for assessing the situation and make a night halt in Yavatmal.

Pawar will proceed to Gondia on September 16 to assess the damages in Bhandara and Gondia districts and return to Delhi on September 17, official sources said.

Meanwhile, the central team, along with District Collector Saurabh Rao and other officials, visited a number of villages here yesterday and held talks with sarpanchs.

Local officials, including ZP president Sandhya Gotmare, submitted a memorandum to the team about damages to crops and agriculture fields. In Hingana taluka in the district, crops on 123 hectares of land suffered damages and on about 648 hectares in Kanholibara taluka. Officials of the central team are also visiting Bhandara, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli, Amravati, Akola and Yavatmal.  State Chief Secretary Jayant Banthia is visiting Wardha today, ahead of Pawar's visit.