Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reviewed the heavy rainfall situation in Gujarat with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and assured full support from the Central Government, as additional disaster response personnel were mobilised for flood-hit Valsad district.
During a telephone conversation, the Prime Minister reviewed the impact of the heavy rainfall and the ongoing rescue and relief operations.
According to the state government, PM Modi assured the Chief Minister of the Centre’s full support for rescue, relief and public safety measures in the affected areas.
The development came as the state stepped up its emergency response in Valsad, one of the districts worst affected by the continuing monsoon rains.
Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and five teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are already deployed in the district to assist the local administration with rescue and relief operations.
To strengthen the response, two additional NDRF teams are being flown in from New Delhi and are expected to reach Valsad on Thursday evening.
The state government also said that an Army contingent of 70 personnel, equipped with five boats, is being deployed to assist rescue efforts.
A 25-member fire service team is also being sent to the district to support the local administration in dealing with the flood situation.
The latest reinforcement follows a series of high-level reviews by the Gujarat government as heavy rainfall continued to affect South Gujarat.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the State Emergency Operation Centre in Gandhinagar to assess the situation and held discussions with officials and district collectors.
He spoke with the Collector of Valsad and Minister Naresh Patel to review rescue operations and had directed that additional NDRF teams be deployed if required.
He also instructed the Collectors of Surat and Navsari to shift residents from low-lying and waterlogged areas to safer locations wherever necessary.
The Chief Minister had also spoken with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who assured the state of all necessary assistance from the Central Government for ongoing rescue and relief operations.
Heavy rainfall has caused widespread disruption across South Gujarat over the past two days.
In Valsad, flooding has affected several areas, while neighbouring districts have also faced the impact of the intense monsoon.
In Dang district, dozens of roads were closed because of heavy rain, Navsari reported the overflow of the Juj and Keliya dams with warnings issued to downstream villages, and rescue teams evacuated people from flood-affected areas in Tapi district.
Schools remained closed in Surat district on Thursday as a precaution.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast further heavy to very heavy rainfall over parts of South and central Gujarat, and authorities continue to monitor the situation as rescue and relief operations remain underway.
(IANS)
