Rajasthan CM asks officials to ensure effective operations in rain-affected areas

Jaipur, Sep 5 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Friday directed officials to ensure effective relief and rescue operations in the rain-affected areas and maintain smooth supply of essential services including food, healthcare and civic safety.

According to an official release, rescue and relief work is being carried out on a war footing across the state. Warning boards have been put up at vulnerable locations and awareness drives are being conducted. A state-level control room and district-level control rooms are functioning round-the-clock.

Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Civil Defence have rescued 1,155 people so far during the monsoon season.

Currently, 62 SDRF teams, seven NDRF teams and several Civil Defence units are deployed in the state. Indian Air Force helicopters are also engaged in airlifting stranded people from inundated areas, wherever needed. Relief camps have been set up with arrangements for food, safe drinking water and medicines.

The state government has initiated crop damage assessment ('girdawari') in view of heavy rains affecting kharif crops. Farmers who have suffered 33 per cent or more crop loss will be compensated under the prescribed norms.

District administrations have been instructed to ensure the safety of school and Anganwadi buildings.

The government has approved repair works worth Rs 180.67 crore across 12 districts, including restoration of school buildings, Anganwadi centres, panchayat offices, hospitals, irrigation projects, roads and culverts. Of this, Rs 83.66 crore has been sanctioned for 4,183 schools, Rs 21.89 crore for 930 Anganwadi centres and Rs 64.34 crore for 3,128 roads, the release said.

The state has recorded 608.65 mm of rainfall so far in the monsoon season, which is 62.5 per cent above normal. Excess rainfall has been reported in 22 districts, including Ajmer, Bundi, Kota, Tonk, Nagaur, Sawai Madhopur, Sikar, Dholpur, Sri Ganganagar, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Karauli.

The chief minister appealed to the public to follow the instructions of the weather department and administration, avoid going near water bodies and immediately contact control rooms in case of emergency. PTI SDA KSS KSS