NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday questioned Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's visit to flood-affected areas. Pawar said that people who are not directly linked to relief operations should avoid such visits.
Talking to reporters about his party’s contribution to the flood relief work, Pawar said he can say based on his personal experience that people who are not directly linked to the relief operations should avoid such visits. These VIP visits, he said, put unnecessary pressure on local machinery and authorities and divert their focus from rescue and evacuation work.
"CM, Dy CM and LoP visited flood-affected areas in Maharashtra. I have no objection to it. But my personal experience says that visits by VIPs disrupt rescue and relief operations. People who are not directly linked to relief operations should avoid such visits," the NCP chief said.
On Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari’s visit to flood-affected areas on Tuesday, Pawar quipped that may be he will help the state get funds and more compensation from the Central government.
Uddhav Thackeray had on Sunday visited the flood-affected Chiplun. He met officials and local representatives to assess the extent of damage and ongoing relief operation. His deputy Ajit Pawar, an NCP leader, also visited various rain-hit villages in the Sangli district on Monday and used a rescue boat to reach out to flood victims in some areas.
Meanwhile, Pawar said that the NCP will send medical teams and relief material to flood-affected people in state In the next two-three days.
The death toll in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra rose to 192 on Monday after the recovery of 28 more bodies, most of them in Raigad, according to the state government data. So far, 2,29,074 persons have been evacuated from the flood and rain-affected affected areas and moved to safer places.
READ MORE: Maharashtra floods claim 251 lives, 13 districts affected: Nawab Malik
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