Heavy rains lash Bastar region in Chhattisgarh; family of four killed, several villages cut off

Jagdalpur/Bijapur, Aug 27 (PTI) A couple and their two daughters died after the car they were travelling in got swept away while crossing a flooded culvert in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district, officials said on Wednesday.

Another person went missing in an overflowing stream and efforts are being made to trace him, they said.

Heavy rains pounded four districts of the Bastar division, where authorities have been instructed to remain alert to deal with flood situations and launch relief measures, officials said.

Nearly 70 persons have been evacuated to safer places in the last 36 hours in Bastar, Bijapur and Dantewada districts. Helicopters, boats and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel were involved in the rescue operations, they said.

In Bastar district, four members of a family drowned after the car ferrying them was swept away by strong currents while crossing the flooded Kanger Nala culvert in the Kanger Valley National Park on Tuesday evening, a senior police official in Jagdalpur said.

The deceased have been identified as Rajesh Kumar G (43), his wife Pavithra (40) and their two daughters Saujainya (7) and Saumaiyya (4). Their driver Lala Yadu, who clung to a tree branch, was rescued later, he said.

Rajesh, a native of Tamil Nadu, worked as a contractor in Raipur. The family had gone for an outing to Bastar, he said. The bodies of all four were fished out late Tuesday evening after the water level declined in the stream, he added.

In another incident, a man was swept away while crossing the overflowing Cherpal stream in Bijapur district on Tuesday and a search was still on for him, police said.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who is currently on a visit to Japan, on Wednesday spoke to state officials and reviewed the flood situation in Bastar division, a government statement said.

He has instructed officials to intensify rescue and relief operations.

Sai held telephonic discussions with Revenue Secretary and Disaster Relief Commissioner Reena Babasaheb Kangale and Bastar Division Commissioner Doman Singh and sought updates on ground operations, the release said.

According to officials, flood-like conditions persist in Dantewada, Bijapur and Bastar districts. Relief efforts are underway in Lohandiguda, Darbha and Tokapal development blocks of Bastar district, it said.

Twenty-one villagers were rescued from Mandar village in Lohandiguda block, while several others were shifted to safer locations with the help of helicopters and boats.

The CM has instructed that the SDRF be kept on high alert and directed the collectors of all districts in Bastar division to alert residents in low-lying areas and shift them to safer places promptly.

Bastar division comprises seven districts – Bastar, Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma.

Sai said the state government is committed to ensuring the safety of every citizen.

“Public safety is our top priority. I have directed officials and SDRF to remain on high alert and extend timely assistance to the affected people as required,” Sai said in the release.

The heavy downpour in south Bastar has sent several rivers and rivulets into spate, disrupting normal life.

More than 100 villages each in Bijapur, Dantewada and Bastar districts have been cut off from the district headquarters due to the torrential downpour over the past two days. SDRF and police personnel were deployed for timely evacuation of the people stranded amid floods, another government official said.

Heavy rains have resulted in flooding of several downstream areas in Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada, affecting many spots on national highways. The district authority has deployed motor-powered boats and Home Guard personnel to assist people to cross the flooded areas. PTI COR TKP NR