Death toll in Maharashtra rains touches 164, 100 still missing; CM Uddhav Thackeray forced to scrap Satara visit owing to inclement weather

Rescue operations officially called off in Taliye village in Raigad 

Special Correspondent

@the_news_21

Pune: A total 164 persons have lost their lives while another 100 people are still missing in the landslides and rain-related accidents caused by the unprecedented downpour that has lashed western Maharashtra and the coastal Konkan region since July 22, this was disclosed by officials on Monday.

Out of the 71 fatalities that were caused due to landslides that occurred in Raigad district alone, particularly the tragedy which virtually buried Taliye village in Mahad tehsil, and the landslides at Sakhar Sutarwadi and Kevnale in Poladpur tehsils. Besides these, 41 deaths are from Satara district, notably in the landslides at Mirgaon and Ambeghar villages. 

Besides the terrible loss in human life, more than 25,500 numbers of hapless livestock have been washed away by the floodwaters or buried in soil. 

The scale of the destruction – in human and animal life and property-wise – is estimated to be even worse than the 2019 floods which ravaged Kolhapur and Sangli in western Maharashtra or the 2014 Malin landslide where more than 150 persons were killed. 

It is estimated that a total 1,028 villages have been afflicted by the rain since July 22, with nearly 400 of these in Kolhapur district and 120 in Satara. A consolidated assessment of the damage in the Konkan, especially in Chiplun and Khed in Ratnagiri district which are among the worst-hit, is forthcoming.   

Nearly 2.30 lakh persons have been evacuated, said official reports while the livelihoods of 1.95 lakh people are said to have been hit in Kolhapur alone. The damage assessments from other districts in Konkan and western Maharashtra have yet to come in.

After four days of arduous efforts in severely inclement weather, authorities have finally called off rescue operations in Taliye village. The 31 missing persons are to be declared dead after following due process.  

“After seeking the opinion of NDRF, SDRF and other rescue teams and respecting the sentiments of the survivors and relatives of missing people, we have accordingly withdrawn our rescue teams from Taliye,” said Raigad District Collector Nidhi Chaudhary. 

While 45 bodies had been recovered from the debris till Sunday, the addition of the missing will take the toll to over 75 dead in Taliye alone. Currently, a total 34 NDRF teams were engaged in operations across the State and 142 boats were deployed, said NDRF authorities. 

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who was due to visit rain-battered Satara, was forced to abandon his visit after the helicopter in which he was travelling could not land owing to allegedly poor visibility. 

Thackeray, who had visited flood-racked Chiplun in the Konkan yesterday, was forced to return back to Pune airport, from where he proceeded to Mumbai. He was scheduled to interact with flood-hit villagers at a relief camp near the Koyna river. 

“The Chief Minister had left for Satara district today to inspect the flood-hit areas. However, owing to low visibility, the helicopter could not land at the Koyna helipad. He has returned to Pune Airport. The floodwater in this area has not completely receded as yet, and the weather is also an obstacle. So, the rescue work should be carried out carefully… flood victims should be provided immediate food, clothing and medicine,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) tweeted. 

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was scheduled to tour Kolhapur also had to turn back as floodwaters still had not sufficiently receded from all major roads, including the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway. Pawar instead went back to Sangli where he met with flood-hit residents and assured them of every help possible from the State government.   

Meanwhile, rebuking the leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, BJP Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urged ruling party leaders to patiently listen to the sorrows of the flood-hit public. He was criticizing Shiv Sena MLA Bhaskar Jadhav, who allegedly had a heated exchange with a lady in flood affected Chiplun. 

“When there is a disaster on this scale, it is but natural for people to get outraged, given the loss of their property, their livelihoods and means of living. However, this does not mean that the people are against you personally. Therefore, the ruling party leaders must patiently address issues and listen to the grief-stricken public with forbearance and not speak to them in a high-handed manner,” Fadnavis said. 

He further urged the Thackeray government to think out of the box while announcing a package for the flood-ravaged Konkan region. “We had changed prevailing relief regulations in providing the package for the afflicted at the time of the 2019 Kolhapur and Sangli floods…we expect this (MVA) government to do the same as well,” he said, adding that such was the dire condition of the people in the Konkan that they had no money left to clean their houses. 

Despite the rains diminishing in intensity, isolated parts in Satara continued to be pounded by moderate to heavy showers, with more than 50 families evacuated in Karad tehsil.  

In Kolhapur, three gates of the Radhanagari dam were shut after the rains gave a break over the district and the levels of the Panchganga river have come down significantly.