Normal life affected in Bastar division due to heavy rains

Torrential rainsin the last two days paralysed life in Chhattisgarh's Bastar divisionwhere several rivers and rivulets were flowing above the danger mark, officials said today.
Chief Minister Raman Singh today convened a meeting of senior officials at Mantralaya here and reviewed the preparedness of the state administration to tackle the flood- like situation in the tribal-dominated region.
Heavy downpour in the last two days has led to inundation of low-lying areas in the region, where normal life has been thrown out of gear, Bastar Divisional Commissioner Dilip Wasnikar told PTI.
Some key interior road links in Bijapur and Sukma districts have been snapped due to rains and flooding of rivers and rivulets, he added.

The division, located in southern part of the state, comprised seven districts - Bastar, Kanker, Kondagaon, Sukma, Narayanpur, Bijapur and Dantewada.
The Bastar district alone recorded 112 mm rainfall since yesterday, Wasnikar said, adding data from other districts are being collected.

Disaster management teams have been sent to inundated areas to undertake relief work, the official added.
As per the information available here, the rivers which are in spate included Indravati (considered lifeline of Bastar), Sabri, Dankini, Shankhini and Mingachal.
Meanwhile, the chief minister has instructed the revenue department and disaster management authority officials to continuously monitor the situation and undertake relief work wherever needed.

Flood control rooms in all district headquarters have been asked to remain on alert round-the-clock,an official here said.
The CM spoke to the officials of Bastar and asked them to keep SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) on alert to tackle any exigency, he said.
Local officials have been instructed to ensure arrangement of food items and other materials at the relief camps set up for affected people in Bastar, he added.