MUMBAI, India — The most populous Indian state, Maharashtra, will soon have a separate National Defense Rescue Force-style mechanism to be set up in flood-affected districts of the state. This was announced by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on July 25.
During his visit to flood-affected district Chiplun, Thackeray said that a financial review of the flood damage in the state would be carried out in a couple of days, as per the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s office.
He also directed the concerned District Collectors to immediately provide food, medicine, clothes, and other necessities to the flood victims.
“Given the recurrence of crises, a separate National Defense Rescue Force-style mechanism will be set up in all these concerned districts,” said Thackeray.
“The State Disaster Response Force is there, but it would be more capable. I will not announce anything right now just to gain popularity. Only after a comprehensive review of the flood situation in the state will the compensation be announced, as well as what and how much help can be sought from the Center.”
He also said that proper instructions had been given to the administration to avoid technical issues while assisting the people in flood-affected regions.
“You are getting proper help from the Central Government. I have talked to the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Defense Minister. National Defense Rescue Force, Army, Air Force units are assisting the state government in the flood situation,” said Thackeray
“They (people affected by floods) could not even save their belongings due to the rapid rise of water. We will implement a proper flood management system to prevent such incidents from happening again.”
Thackeray also announced that he would visit Western Maharashtra on July 26 to assess the damage in that region after the rains.
About 150 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been engaged in relief and rescue operations in floods and landslides affected areas across India, as heavy downpour has disrupted normal lives in several states, and 34 teams have been deployed in Maharashtra alone.
“After interacting with the District Surgeons, District Health Officers at Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, the Health Minister was apprised about the necessary medicines, pills, and medical teams. The Health Minister also appealed to the health authorities to be vigilant for preventive treatment to prevent the spread of communicable diseases after the floods,” the press release from the Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope’s office said.
Other than Maharashtra, eight National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed in Telangana, while seven teams are working in Karnataka.
(With inputs from ANI)
(Edited by Amrita Das and Praveen Pramod Tewari)
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