Express News Service
BHOPAL: The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh has sent a detailed report to the Centre on the devastation caused by torrential rains and resultant floods in 9 districts of the state last month. Chauhan sought central assistance of Rs 2,043 crores for restoration and reconstruction works.
The 140-page report sent by the state government about the floods contains details on various parameters of devastating floods in nine districts — Guna, Sheopur, Morena, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Ashok Nagar, Bhind, Datia and Vidisha in the first week of August.
As per the report, 9334 people were rescued, 32,960 evacuated and 278 people airlifted during the rescue operations by the state police, NDRF, SDRF, Indian Air Force, central paramilitary forces and Indian Army columns.
The flash floods damaged 1874.18 km roads and 1583 bridges and culverts, 939 village panchayat buildings, community halls and ponds. As many as 1,700 schools and hostels too were damaged by the floods. Further 2446 urban infrastructure structures, 65 health department facilities and 464 water resources department structures too were damaged.
The report sums up that as many as 63 development blocks in nine districts were affected by the floods. Crops in a total 1,14,889 hectare area were affected by the floods, causing a total crop loss of Rs 577.33 crores.
The floods in all major rivers of the Gwalior-Chambal region and Vidisha districts following two three days of unstopped rains also damaged/destroyed 62,107 houses, 2383 cattle sheds, leading to loss of 1230 animals and 5977 poultry stock.
According to informed sources in the state government, while the state government is already engaged in relief and rehabilitation measures and is compensating the population of the affected areas through its own resources, an assistance of Rs 2043 crores has been sought from the centre. The Centre has also been requested to release Rs 728 crores as the second installment for the State Disaster Relief Fund.
Earlier, on Monday, the MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan transferred a relief sum of Rs 31.51 crore to over 24,500 beneficiaries in the nine flood-hit districts. So far, Rs 109.89 crore relief aid has been sent to the accounts of more than 27,000 flood-affected people.
