BHOPAL: As rain continued to lash different parts of Madhya Pradesh, more deaths were reported from different parts of the State on Friday.

The Narmada was flowing at danger level at Hoshangabad. According to the specially set up control room here in the State capital, the number of persons killed by floods or rising water level, including those missing, had gone up to 78 by Friday evening.

Earlier during the day, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan called on the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in Delhi and informed him of the extensive damage caused by rain and floods. He also presented him a memorandum based on a primary survey of the flood-hit areas and urged a speedy redress of the problems of the people in the flood-ravaged areas.

The Chief Minister has informed the Central Government that 22 Madhya Pradesh districts have been hit by the floods. They are Mandla, Narsinghpur, Balaghat, Hoshangabad, Guna, Bhopal, Vidisha, Sehore, Ujjain, Dewas, Shajapur, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Neemuch, Khandwa, Khargone, Dhar, Jhabua, Rajgarh, Sagar, Indore and Badwani. More than 57,000 people have been affected.

Most of the soyabean crop in western Madhya Pradesh, which is known as the Malwa region, and maize grown in areas dominated by tribals have been destroyed. The loss of private and public property across the State is estimated at Rs.750 crores, the Chief Minister has told the Centre while seeking financial assistance of Rs. 100 crores and allotment of food grains and kerosene oil on priority. It is learnt here that the Union Agriculture Minister has accepted the request for immediate financial assistance of Rs. 100 crores and also allocation of additional quota of food grains.

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