Flood washed away over 480km of roads in Kolhapur

KOLHAPUR: The recent heavy flooding in Kolhapur and Sangli districts has destroyed a total of 484km of road length — an estimated damage of Rs 186 crore.
Pune divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said he has urged the authorities concerned to start repair works as soon as possible.
On Saturday, Mhaisekar met with district administration officials from both Sangli and Kolhapur.The officials were also asked to carry out structural audits of all the bridges impacted by the floodwaters.
According to the divisional commissioner, 73 roads of the Public Works Department (PWD), totalling 484 km, have been washed away. There are a total of 1,466 different roads under the PWD in the region.
Officials are also set to carry out surveys of bridges that have been marked for possible elevation to avoid future flooding.
During his meeting with the press, Mhaisekar said nearly 84 vital roads in Kolhapur district have been affected by the floods. The administration has been able to open 75 of these roads so far to traffic.
On built structures, Mhaisekar said damaged school buildings in rural areas would be repaired on priority. He added that students from these schools would be provided educational kits containing a slate, a school bag, a geometry set and a pen. Such students will be provided with books as well.
According to him, ATMs across the district too are being restored steadily. Kolhapur district has around 647 ATMs, of which 442 are currently active.
He added that those villages, where electricity is yet to be restored, would be given wheat flour instead of grains.
According to Mhaisekar, around 747 homes in the Kolhapur district, a few from city as well, have been found to be dangerous to live in due to structural weaknesses. He said residents of these homes must evacuate to limit injuries.
“We can make some alternative arrangements for them — at community halls or other places. But these residents need to move to safety,” he said.
On the collection of funds for relief operations, he said that it is an offence under the Disaster Management Act for individuals to collect money into their accounts.