Ensure monitoring of weather forecast, level of dams in flood affect Gwalior-Chambal, says Scindia

BHOPAL: Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday visited the flood affected areas of Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri, Guna and Ashoknagar districts and assessed the damage caused to life and property. He said there should be a monitoring system to know the weather forecast for the next 48 hours and the water level of rivers and dams during incessant rains.
Scindia assured the affected families of every possible support from the government in this hour of crisis.
"The disaster caused by the flood is beyond imagination. None of us could have imagined that a flood of this scale would hit the Northern part of our Madhya Pradesh. The amount of loss that has been caused to the people is extensive. People have lost their lives. There has been loss of property, house, crop and even livestock," Scindia told reporters after the aerial survey.
He further said, "Still I want to keep the public alert. Still the time of crisis is not over. The information I have about the condition of dams, where the water has come up to the upper level. We are also assessing the weather. We want the people to be alert. Today I have discussed in detail the entire process with the administration for the next 72 hours and asked to take stock of the damages after that."
The Union minister also held detailed conversation with the public representatives and local families on the flood fury in three districts. He said the state and the central government will join hands to provide relief to the affected families.
"We are monitoring the situation since last one week after the calamity hit the Gwalior-Chambal region. Both the central and state governments are working to provide relief. I am in constant touch with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Discussions are also taking place in Delhi with the Union home minister, defence minister and with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is very concerned. In last 40 years, we have not seen such a massive devastation in our region where life and property, bridges and roads everywhere in all areas have washed away," said Scindia.
Scindia, who was seen with BJP Lok Sabha member from Guna, KP Yadav after a long time, asked the health officials to conduct door-to-door investigation to check pandemic after the flood. "We need to be cautious as there are health complaints and citizens are getting affected by many diseases including fever, vomiting, flu after water receded in some areas. The health department should organise surveys and health camps in 450 villages of Guna that have been affected," he said.
The Union minister also instructed the officials to repair and re-install transformers submerged in the flood affected areas and keep a regular watch on power supply. He also instructed the officials to supply potable water in flood affected areas. In many flood affected villages, water in handpumps has been contaminated. Officials will provide pure drinking water in all these areas, he said.
The Union minister distributed a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the flood affected families and also provided food grains in tehsil Mungawali, Bahadurpur, Ashoknagar and Shadaura of Ashoknagar district. Trucks loaded with food grains were also dispatched from the premises of Ashoknagar to other destinations, said officials.