CM reviews flood situation in Maha, assures speedy relief

With rains lashing several parts of Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday reviewed the flood situation and asked the officials concerned to provide speedy relief to those affected.

Fadnavis said he has also written to Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, requesting him to increase the discharge of water from Almatti dam in the southern state so as to mitigate the flood situation in Sangli district.

The chief minister, currently on his statewide 'Maha Jandesh Yatra', also said he would hold a review meeting on Wednesday to work out long-term measures to combat the flood situation.

He said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in flood-hit Kolhapur and Sangli districts, while the Indian Air Force helicopters have also been pressed into service.

The central government has been requested to send an NDRF team in Sindhudurg's Dodamarg area, he said.

The Centre has assured full cooperation to the state, he added.

"The state chief secretary is monitoring the situation. Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil is camping in this region. I have instructed other ministers to render all help in the relief operations," Fadnavis told reporters here.

"I am also speaking to Karnataka CM Yediyurappa on increasing the discharge of water from the (downstream) Almatti dam. This will help mitigate the flood situation in Sangli. Yediyurappa has assured positive action," he added.

Fadnavis said Yediyurappa also sent him a letter on Monday, requesting to reduce the discharge of water from the upstream Koyna dam in Satara to control the flood situation in Karnataka.

The Panchganga river was flowing above the danger mark, he said, adding that Kolhapur city, six villages in Shirol, and one each in Hatkanangle, Chikhali and Ambewadi areas were affected due to it.

Two NDRF teams were coordinating rescue operations and more teams were on their way, he said, adding that the Army, Navy and Coast Guard were also in action.

"Air Force helicopters are also pressed into service. Nearly 1,500 families have been evacuated so far and the administration is taking care of the situation. In Sangli, one NDRF team is deployed and another is on the way," he said.

The state government was moving six teams with Navy boats to Kolhapur by air. For Sangli, four FRP (fibre reinforced plastic) boats of the NDRF were being moved from Pune, he said.

The situation in the rain-hit Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Nashik, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad -- where there was a flood-like situation until Monday -- was relatively under control, he added.