Lok Sabha speaker visits flood-hit areas in Rajasthan

Lok Sabha Speaker and Kota-Bundi MP Om Birla on Tuesday visited flood-affected areas and listened to grievances of people.

Earlier in the day, he held a meeting with officials, directing them to ensure food and medical care for the victims.

Appreciating collective efforts in countering the flood situation, Birla asked the officials to work on a war footing to rehabilitate the victims and compensate them as per norms.

Around 8,000 packets containing essential items such as ration, clothes, soap, towel and oil were being readied for distribution in flood-affected areas, Birla said.

Kota District Collector Muktanand Agrawal told in the meeting that medical teams had been deputed in the affected areas and anti-larval activities had been started.

Bundi District Collector Rukmani Riyad Sihag said around 4,000 families in rural areas of the district were hit and efforts were underway to restore the supply of drinking water and electricity.

Meanwhile, the flood waters have started receding from low-lying areas.

However, a large number of victims are still putting up in shelter homes with the flood waters leaving heaps of filth and damaged houses behind.

A large number of NGO workers have been roped in to serve the flood victims in shelter homes.

Food to around 2,000 people was being provided by the Bundi road gurdwara regularly, said Jaspreet Singh, a volunteer of from the gurdwara.

Around 25 shelter homes have been set for the flood-affected people in Kota.

'Food and space are adequate in the shelter homes but the pain of damage and loss of property has left the victims restless," said Anwar Khan, an NGO worker in Kota.