The Hindu : National : Army called out to flood-hit Vadodara city

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Friday, Jul 01, 2005

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Army called out to flood-hit Vadodara city

Special Correspondent

More than 30,000 people from low-lying areas shifted to safety

Narendra Modi took an aerial survey of some of the affected areas and held a highlevel meeting to streamline rescue and relief measures.

AHMEDABAD: The Army has been called to assist the civilian authorities in Vadodara city to evacuate people from low-lying areas engulfed in floodwaters caused by a heavy downpour since Wednesday night.

The weather office reported more than 350 mm of rainfall in Vadodara city and district in the last 24 hours. Due to continuous heavy rainfall in the catchment areas in the neighbouring Panchamahals district, the Ajwa and Pratapura dams overflowed forcing the authorities to open all the gates causing flash floods in the Vishwamitri that flows through the city.

The Vadodara district Collector, Rajiv Topno, said more than 30,000 people had been shifted to safer places in the city. Elsewhere in the State, more than a lakh people were evacuated to safety. Rainwater has entered a number of houses in low-lying areas where power supply has been discontinued. The authorities ordered schools and colleges in the city to be closed till Sunday while many private offices were also closed on Thursday.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi took an aerial survey of some of the affected areas, including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surendranagar and Bhavnagar districts despite the inclement weather. He later held a high-level meeting in Gandhinagar to streamline rescue and relief measures. He said the Government would seek special assistance from the Centre for repairing roads and other infrastructure facilities damaged in the rain and floods.

Besides Vadodara, many parts of Surat city and Anand towns also remained under water. One Army column has been kept on standby in Surat while another column is stationed in Rajkot for rescue operations. Police and fire brigade personnel with boats and other equipment were engaged in rescuing stranded people in Surendranagar, Surat, Anand and other centres.

Rail and road traffic in the State was hit due to the heavy downpour. Many of the highways were closed. Even the newly-commissioned Ahmedabad-Vadodara Express was put out of service. Most of the trains from Ahmedabad to Mumbai were cancelled or re-routed as rainwater flooded the tracks near Anand and Vadodara. With the Vadodara airport closed, two planes from Mumbai were diverted to the Ahmedabad airport.

The toll in the rain and floods has reached 51. At least three deaths were reported from Vadodara on Thursday while two persons were killed in Surendranagar district, an official spokesman said.

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