Maharashtra floods: CM Devendra Fadnavis seeks Rs 6800 crore aid as death toll touches 43

MUMBAI: As floods wreaked havoc across Maharashtra, claiming at least 43 lives, state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has sought Rs 6800 crore aid from the Centre. 

“We are demanding Rs 6800 crore financial help from the Union government. We are assesing losses and memorandum is getting ready, it will be submitted to centre. State government will meet Central government to seek financial help from Centre,” said  Fadnavis during a press brief. 

The state is likely to demand Rs 2105 crore for flood-affected Konkan and Nashik districts and Rs 4700 crore for Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara districts.

The state also assured to help citizens in rebuilding houses. Ministers from Fadnavis Cabinet will donate one month's salary toward the flood-relief fund. 

A total of 43 died in state due to flood-related incidents while three were missing as of Monday, Pune Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said. A total of 4,74,226 people have been rescued from 584 villages and evacuated to safer places. As many as 1,224 relief camps are currently operational in the state with 3,93,956 people taking shelter in them, while 372 medical teams have been deployed.

At present, 105 teams of the Army, Navy, Air Force, NDRF, SDRF, district, municipal and local bodies with 164 boats are engaged in the rescue operation.

Fadnavis has asked the district administration and half a dozen |ministers camping there to make available all required machinery to clean the flood-hit areas and coordinate efforts of the government and NGOs.