8 dead in Maharashtra floods, CM announces ₹2,215 crore relief fund

MUMBAI : eighter from decatur people died o'er the endure deuce years while hundreds were left stranded in floodwaters as heavy rains pounded several parts of the state, especially the Marathwada region.In the last 24 hours the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) rescued 320 people, including a newborn and its mother, in four districts – Dharashiv, Beed, Ahilyanagar and Solapur.The state government has approved a ₹2,215 crore relief package for 31,64,000 farmers who have lost their lands to the floods, with a promise of additional funds subsequently. Over the last two days, 555,410 acres of farm land became submerged in the Marathwada region.After reviewing the situation in the affected parts, in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told ministers to visit the flood affected areas in their respective regions to monitor relief and rescue work. The chief minister said that he will visit the flood affected areas in Marathwada on Wednesday. Fadnavis also asked officials to ensure that the funds approved by the government are deposited in the affected farmers’ bank accounts over the next 10 days. Apart from the loss of lives, 150 cattle also died in rain-related incidents.Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said on Tuesday, while Marathawada is the worst affected, parts of Vidarbha and western Maharashtra regions also received heavy rain due to cloudbursts. “The situation is grave, as farmers have lost their crops, while many houses have been badly damaged by the flood,” Shinde told the media, following the cabinet meeting, adding that he would visit the affected areas soon.As flood waters entered homes of villagers, around 28 people were rescued in Beed district and 118 in Dharashiv district, while efforts were on to rescue 32 others who were trapped in flood waters. A press note released by NDRF underscored that rescue operations will continue through the night. In Beed, an NDRF team, posted in Sadas Chinchole area of Majalgaon tehsil, managed to rescue a newborn and its mother.Also read: Punjab governor flags off truckloads of relief material for flood victimsShirish Yadav, deputy collector of Dharashiv, said Bhoom and Paranda villages were the most affected, as several parts of the district witnessed rain over 100 mm in two days. “Along with that many areas such as Karjat and Jakhed, in Ahilyanagar, and Ashti and Patoda, in Beed district, received heavy rainfall. We have started discharging 70,000 cusec (cubic foot per second) water from the dams to control the floods,” he said.While disaster management minister Girish Mahajan reached Paranda to monitor rescue work, on Monday night Shiv Sena (UBT) MP from Dharashiv Omraje Nimbalkar entered flood waters to help the NDRF team and villagers. Together they saved four members from a family, which included an old woman and a two-year-old boy in Vadner village in Paranda.Also read: Monsoon floods ravage Pakistan's farmlands, hit industrial centres marring economic recoveryOpposition parties demanded immediate relief to the flood affected people.NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said the state government should seek aid from the central government, as is the norm in cases of natural calamities. “I have never seen this kind of rainfall in Marathwada. Farmers have lost everything. They need our support,” said Pawar. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded that the central government should give ₹10,000 crore to Maharashtra to help distressed farmers, and criticised the chief minister and his deputies for not visiting the flood affected areas already.