Incessant rains caused floods in parts of Maharashtra wherein Sangli and Kolhapur districts were the worst-hit. The chief minister of the state, Devendra Fadnavis has sought Rs 6,813 crore as relief fund from the Centre owing to the mass destruction.
Mumbai: With rescue operations coming to an end in flood-hit Kolhapur and Sangli, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said his government will seek a relief package of Rs 6,813 crore from the Centre.
The proposal to be sent to the Centre will be in two parts - seeking Rs 4,708 crore assistance for Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara districts and Rs 2,105 crore for Konkan, Nashik and rest of Maharashtra, Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai after the weekly Cabinet meeting.
"A memorandum for this assistance will be sent to the Centre, but till then the Maharashtra Cabinet has approved to spend the amount from the state corpus," he said.
Kolhapur and Sangli districts have been the worst-hit following heavy rains in Konkan and western parts of the state where 43 people died in the deluge in last nine days.
With flood waters receding in both the districts, authorities there are now focusing on providing essential supplies to people affected by the rain fury.
"Rescue operations have been completed in Kolhapur. The national highway (NH-4) is open and traffic is moving slowly. Petrol, diesel and gas supplies have been restored. Work is going on a war-footing to restore power and phone connectivity," resident deputy collector Sanjay Shinde said.
Relief centres have been set up and all efforts are being made to make sure the essential supplies reach the flood-affected people, he said.
Meanwhile, Fadnavis said the state government will seek a Rs 6,813 crore package from the Centre for relief and rehabilitation of flood victims.
A provision has been made for seeking an assistance of Rs 2,088 crore for crop damages, Rs 876 crore for road and bridge repairs, Rs 300 crore for families of deceased, Rs 222 crore for repairs of house damages and Rs 125 crore for repair of schools and restoration of water supply schemes, he said.
The state will for the first time also seek Rs 300 crore for losses incurred by small traders, he said.
Besides, Rs 168 crore would be sought for irrigation works, Rs 75 crore for health-related initiatives, Rs 66 crore to Rs 70 crore for cleaning the areas, Rs 27 crore for temporary camps, Rs 30 crore for loss of livestock, Rs 25 crore for relief works and Rs 11 crore to help the fishermen, he said.
On the same lines, Rs 2,105 crore assistance is planned for Konkan region, Nashik and rest of the affected districts in the state, he said.
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