Ensure early disbursement of aid to kin of rain-hit victims: CM
Kolkata: Extending all support to the people in distress due to incessant rains, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed all ministers and local MLAs of rain-affected areas to keep an eye on the situation at ground-level. She also asked the top government officials to ensure that the family members of those who died in the state since June 28 due to heavy rainfall get financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh as early as possible.
During the cabinet meeting on Monday, Banerjee urged Pulak Roy minister of Public Health Engineering department who is an MLA from Uluberia Dakshin and also Arup Roy, minister of Cooperation department MLA from Howrah Madhya to monitor the situation in their respective areas where heavy inundations had taken place. According to state government figures, around 16 people have so far died since June 28 mainly due to electrocution and falling of mud houses. Around 4 people were killed in Bankura, 3 in Purulia, 2 in Kalimpong, 2 in West Midnapore. Howrah, West Burdwan, East Burdwan, Murshidabad and South 24-Parganas have seen one death each.
The state government with the help of Indian Air Force rescued and airlifted 31 people from the rooftops of their houses in the affected areas of Dhanyaghari GP in Khanakul II and all the people were brought to the relief camp opened at Arambagh Girls' High School. The IAF helicopters also dropped emergency food supplies in the affected areas, reads a press statement issued by the IAF. Following the request from the Chief Minister Banerjee, the IAF swung into action. Several parts of Jangipara went under water. Various pockets of Haripal in Hooghly were flooded due to the release of water by the DVC. The NDRF team rescued a pregnant woman in West Midnapore's Ghatal and she was taken to the Ghatal Sub-divisional hospital. Several parts of West Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly are still under water.
Compared to the previous years, the situation in Ghatal is better. Earlier all the 65 mouzas used to go under water but this time only 9 mouzas have been affected. Irrigation minister Soumen Mahapatra visited Ghatal on Monday to take stock of the situation. He will visit the affected areas of Udaynarayanpur in Howrah on Tuesday and Khanakul in Hooghly on Wednesday. The minister said that no embankments were damaged this time. Due to the release of water by DVC, the Udaynarayanpur State General Hospital went under water causing serious problems to the patients and health staff members alike.
Around 40,000 people are there in various camps.
Meanwhile, the Alipore MeT office said that some south Bengal districts may witness light to moderate rainfall in the next 48 hours while north Bengal districts will receive a heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours.
