Amit Shah reviews Maharashtra, Gujarat rain crisis, assures full support
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke separately to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to review the situation
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke separately to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to review the situation caused by heavy rain in the two states, officials said. During the calls, Shah assured both chief ministers of all possible assistance from the Centre in dealing with the rain-related situation. The review came as torrential rain disrupted daily life and train services in Mumbai, while southern Gujarat reported extremely heavy rainfall, five rain-related deaths and large-scale evacuations from flooded areas. Read Full Story Mumbai witnessed heavy rain on Wednesday, delaying local train services and causing inconvenience to office-goers. The city had been battered by rain over the weekend before getting a brief respite on Tuesday.
Long-distance train services towards Gujarat remained disrupted because of waterlogging on the Vasai-Virar section in neighbouring Palghar district and at several places in south Gujarat. Operations on the Mumbai-Pune route were also yet to be fully restored after landslides in the Bhor Ghat section on Monday. Civic officials said Tulsi Lake, one of the seven reservoirs that supply drinking water to Mumbai, started overflowing late at night following heavy rainfall in its catchment area. The India Meteorological Department has forecast intermittent light to moderate rainfall in Mumbai and the suburbs during the day. Southern Gujarat also received extremely heavy rain on Tuesday, with Surat district being the worst hit.
Officials said five people died in rain-related incidents and 2,100 people were moved from flooded areas to safe places. Kamrej taluka in Surat district recorded 305 mm of rainfall in the 10 hours ending 4 pm on Tuesday. Schools and colleges in Navsari district and Surat remained shut on Tuesday in view of the downpour. In its midday state forecast on Tuesday, the IMD said, "Extremely heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places in the districts of South Gujarat region, namely Surat, Valsad, Dadra & Nagar Haveli in the last 24 hours." Speaking to reporters, Surat Municipal Corporation Commissioner M Nagarajan had said around 2,100 people had been relocated from different zones to safe shelters.
An official from the district disaster management office had said five deaths were reported in rain-related incidents over the past two days. "Two deaths due to electrocution were reported today, while another person died in the Kamrej area. On Monday, two individuals died from electrocution in the Rander area of Surat," the official had said. The heavy rain in Maharashtra and Gujarat led to transport disruption, waterlogging, evacuations and deaths, prompting Shah to review the situation with the two chief ministers and assure them of support from the Centre. Ends
The BriefWire