The Hindu : Front Page : Floods leave 30 dead in eight Rajasthan districts

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Tuesday, Aug 22, 2006

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Floods leave 30 dead in eight Rajasthan districts

Special Correspondent

A long trail of devastation with rivers on the rise and dams overflowing

JAIPUR: Floods causing havoc in eight districts of Rajasthan have killed 30 people in incidents such as drowning, lightning, deluge and victims being swept away by overflowing rivers during the past two days. Scattered rain was reported in several parts of the State on Monday even as the Army helped out the local administration in rescuing stranded people to safety.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje made an aerial survey of Banswara, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Sirohi and Pali districts in southern Rajasthan to review the relief works and met the flood-affected people. She noted that the flood situation was improving slowly with less water flowing into the dams, from where water is constantly being discharged.

The gates of as many as 174 dams across the State, including Gandhi Sagar, Rana Pratap Sagar, Kota Barrage, Bisalpur and Jawai, were opened to release excess water. Over 1,500 villages and a dozen towns were cut off by the rising floodwaters. Electricity and telephone networks were disrupted in the southern parts of the State and schools and colleges in Udaipur were indefinitely closed.

The State Government, which had earlier allotted Rs. 2.37 crores to the flood-affected districts for launching relief works immediately, made additional allocations amounting to Rs. 5 lakhs each to Jodhpur and Barmer, Rs. 20 lakhs to Banswara and Rs. 10 lakhs to Bhilwara on Monday. Ms. Raje said after her return here that an extensive survey to assess the damage caused to public assets, roads, bridges, dams, ponds and buildings in the flood-hit areas would be undertaken shortly and a memorandum would be sent to the Centre seeking its help for rehabilitation and relief operations. The District Collectors and Secretaries of the State Irrigation, Panchayati Raj, Agriculture and Public Works Departments have been directed to submit their survey reports detailing the losses to the State Government by Wednesday. Ms. Raje has issued instructions for immediate financial assistance to those whose houses have been damaged in floods.

Nine persons were rescued on Monday in Bhilwara where the Meja dam is overflowing, while floodwaters entered residential areas in Jaisalmer. Water breached the rail track at Samra railway station near Jodhpur and the train passengers were taken to their destinations by road. Relief Minister Kirorilal Meena visited the flood-affected areas in Udaipur and said action would be taken to stop construction of houses and complexes in the river lines in future.

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