Gujarat rains claim 42 more

AHMEDABAD, June 26: Heavy rains have played havoc in central, north and Saurashtra areas of Gujarat, claiming 42 lives during last 24 hours...

AHMEDABAD, June 26: Heavy rains have played havoc in central, north and Saurashtra areas of Gujarat, claiming 42 lives during last 24 hours to take the toll to 111 since the onset of monsoon. Authorities summoned the Army to rescue marooned people in the worst-hit Mehsana district. State, Chief Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela said the Army has so far rescued 10,000 of the total 25,000 people marooned in Mehsana town in north Gujarat since Wednesday with the help of ten boats.

Army has also been sent to Malia and Bagodara towns in Surendranagar district to rescue the stranded people there. Two helicopters have been requisitioned to survey the flood-hit areas of Mehsana and Surendranagar districts, he said.

Vaghela announced ex-gratia payment of Rs 20,000 each to the families of the deceased in the monsoon and Rs 4,000 for those who suffered loss of property due to the rains. He said the government had requested the Centre for 50 per cent relief as per the norms.

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He informed that heavy damage has been reported to houses, roads and huts in the flood-hit areas and added that the damage to roads alone has been estimated to the tune of Rs 150 crore. Meanwhile, the Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) has donated a sum of Rs two crore to the chief minister’s relief fund for the affected people.

Vaghela said a bus with several passengers was trapped in the rain waters on the highway, ten kms from Mehsana and the Army had been rushed to the spot to rescue them.

State Reserve Police personnel were also engaged in the rescue operation in Mehsana, he said. Rain waters have inundated almost all areas of east Mehsana affecting thousands of people residing in low lying areas. However, rail traffic which was disrupted between Sidhhpur and Palanpur due to heavy floods, was restored today. Vehicular traffic on 13 highways and state roads in parts of the state was disrupted due to floods since yesterday. Most of the roads in Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Surendranagar, Visnagar, Mansa, Vijapur, Himatnagar, Bhavnagar were inundated.

None of the villages had been cut off but the rains waters had flooded the areas surrounding them, Vaghela said. Some of the dams in Rajkot district of Saurashtra region were overflowing but none of them had any breaches so far, he said adding that drought-prone areas of Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha of north Gujarat and Surendranagar district had received heavy rainfall. There was no damage to crops despite the downpour, he said.

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Chief Secretary L N S Mukundan said the government machinery had been geared up to meet the situation arising out of the heavy rains. All collectors had been given powers to take immediate action in the case of any eventuality due to rains, he added.