As heavy rain batters Maharashtra, CM Fadnavis says govt. is fully alert to tackle problems

He told mediapersons in Nagpur that some parts of the State had received average rainfall of 15 to 20 days in a matter of just two to three days.

With several parts of Maharashtra being battered by incessantly heavy downpour, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the State government was fully alert to combat problems triggered by the rain.

He told mediapersons in Nagpur that some parts of the State had received average rainfall of 15 to 20 days in a matter of just two to three days.

“Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and their State counterpart, the SDRF, are being swiftly deployed as and when required as per the weather alerts being given to the administration by the Indian Meteorological Department regarding areas where heavy showers are forecasted,” he said.

Meanwhile, as the rescue and rehabilitation operations at Irshalwadi village in Raigad district entered its fourth day on Sunday, more than 75 persons still remain untraced, said sources.

Till now, 27 bodies, including 12 women and four children, have been recovered from the debris of Thursday’s disaster.

At least 17 of 48 houses in the village were fully or partially buried under the landslide debris, officials said.

Among the politicians to visit the disaster spot, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale was the latest on Sunday to speak to the survivors of the tragedy.