Villages prone to natural disasters to be identified: Chavan

A "complete study" of Maharashtra would be conducted to identify villages prone to natural calamities in the aftermath of the landslide at Malin near Pune, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has said.

"We will be doing a complete study of the state to find out if there are other villages that are prone to natural disasters. I have instructed my officials to conduct a survey and submit a report," Chavan told PTI in an interview here.

The government's focus is to find survivors in the Malin tragedy after which a long term plan will be looked at, he said.

The landslide, which flattened about 45 villages at Malin near Pune and virtually wiped the village off the map, has so far claimed 151 lives, including 59 men, 71 women and 21 children. Carcasses of 50 animals too have been extricated in the rescue operation.

"Right now we are focusing on finding out if anybody has survived the Malin tragedy and to take out the all bodies from the rubble. Once this is over, we will look at a long term plan to resettle the remaining villages (prone to natural calamities)," Chavan said.

The government is waiting for a preliminary report from concerned officials to ascertain if there are other villages in immediate danger, he said.

"We are doing preliminary enquiries and finding out if there is any danger to other villages. Once the reports come, we will initiate necessary steps," he said.