Be alert, take precautions, make arrangements for food, water, shelter and medicine for rain-affected people: Chief Minister Dr. Yadav

Bhopal: Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has said that safety of life and property is of utmost importance. Evacuating people safely from submerged areas is our top priority. He said that in rain affected areas, district and police administration, home guards, disaster management team should work together with full alertness and vigilance. Relief and rescue teams should be fully prepared and all kinds of help should be provided to the needy immediately. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav reached the Disaster Management Room (State Command Center) located at Home Guard Headquarters on Wednesday and took information about the situations arising due to heavy rains in many districts of the state and conducted a detailed review with the officials regarding public safety management. Chief Secretary Mr. Anurag Jain, Additional Chief Secretary Home Mr. J.N. Kansotia, Director General of Police Mr. Kailash Makwana, DG Home Guard Ms. Pragya Shrivastava, ADG Mr. A. Sai Manohar, Secretary and Commissioner Public Relations Dr. Sudam Khade and other officials were present in the review meeting. It was told that heavy rain has been occurring in the state for the last three days. Due to heavy rainfall, more than 2900 people have been evacuated safely so far in some districts of the state in situations like flooding of villages and houses. Wherever there is information of excessive rainfall and people getting trapped in flood water, rescue operations are being carried out with full capacity.

Chief Minister Dr. Yadav observed the live operation of relief and rescue operations going on in the districts from the disaster control room. He talked to the officers posted in the disaster rescue team and took information about the relief and rescue operations. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav asked the rescue team officials whether there is any shortage of resources in flood prevention? The officials said that all the resources are available and help is being received from the administration as well as villagers and civil society. The Chief Minister held a face-to-face discussion with the victims who were safely evacuated from the submerged areas. The Chief Minister told the flood victims that there is nothing to worry about, the government is with you at every step. The government will adequately compensate the victims for whatever loss they have suffered in their homes, goods, crops, animals. Those who help save lives will be rewarded. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav directed the District Collectors to take all kinds of precautions. Keep all arrangements for disaster control ready. Rescue people immediately in case of floods. He instructed the Collectors to get the damage surveyed as soon as the flood water recedes and prepare a formal proposal to give proper compensation for the losses caused by heavy rains and floods. The government will provide full help to every flood victim. The Collectors informed that social organizations have also helped in evacuating people safely from flood-affected areas. The Chief Minister said that a list of people who helped in saving the lives of flood-affected people by evacuating them safely should be prepared. The government will honor such courageous, charitable and helpful people on the upcoming 15th August and on other occasions as well. They will also be given awards. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav took detailed information about flood relief and rescue operations in Guna, Shivpuri, Datia and Ashoknagar of Gwalior division, Sagar, Damoh, Chhatarpur of Sagar division, Vidisha and Raisen districts of Bhopal division and also observed the rescue operations going on here live. While discussing live with the rescue team officials, the Chief Minister said that saving someone’s life is an act of service. Do your work with this feeling and full dedication. Tell us the kind of help you need from the government level, the government will make proper arrangements. He said that if it is not possible to rescue or evacuate any flood affected person by boat, then in such a situation the government will airlift the affected people through helicopter. He said that the state government is fully prepared to deal with every situation and every necessary step is being taken to protect the citizens from excessive rain. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav also took stock of the arrangements present in the districts, alert system, monitoring system and all types of rescue operations done so far from the disaster management room. He directed that the flood disaster control rooms in all districts should remain continuously active and work in better coordination with the administration.

Do not travel on any bridge or culvert with fast flow Chief Minister Dr. Yadav has also appealed to the citizens to be very cautious and vigilant till the rain stops. Also help in saving the flood affected people. He said that the citizens should avoid getting into the flooded rivers and drains and should not travel on any bridge or culvert with fast flow. He said that due to the possibility of electric current spreading in the rain, electric wires should not be left open. He said that people living in kutcha houses should be careful, because there is a possibility of them getting damaged due to excessive rain. The Chief Minister told the collectors that proper arrangements should be made for safe accommodation, food, clean drinking water, medicine, clothes and other needs of the people who have been rescued and all the victims should be made available. He said that in the event of a flood disaster, the government is with every victim, no one will be allowed to remain helpless.

Chief Minister Dr. Yadav discussed with the rescue team officials and collectors in the districts and also got information about the flood situation in their area, updates of rescue operations and relief being provided by the administration to the victims. The government, administration, army, disaster management team are all together to save people. Leave no stone unturned in evacuating flood victims safely. If there is an alert of heavy rainfall in your district, then declare holiday for school children as per the need, so that there is no possibility of any untoward incident. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav, while referring to the warning issued by the Meteorological Department, said that the collectors of all the districts should remain on high alert and as soon as information of flood-like situation in any area is received, relief and rescue teams should be sent there promptly. He said that the collectors should make their alert system and monitoring mechanism stronger, because the sooner the information of flood is received, the sooner the relief and rescue teams will be able to reach there. It is noteworthy that the weather department has issued warnings of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Narmadapuram, Harda, Guna, Shivpuri and Raisen districts, very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Vidisha, Sehore, Rajgarh, Betul, Bhopal, Khandwa, Dewas, Shajapur, Narsinghpur, Sheopur, Agar-Malwa, Neemuch, Ashoknagar, Pandhurna and Chhindwara districts and heavy rainfall at isolated places in Khargone, Alirajpur, Dhar, Indore, Ratlam, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Gwalior, Datia, Bhind, Morena, Jabalpur, Seoni, Mandla, Balaghat, Panna, Damoh, Sagar, Chhatarpur, Timakgarh and Niwari districts in the next 24 hours. All necessary arrangements are being made by the state command center and flood control rooms established in the districts by staying in constant touch with the government, army and weather department.