Jaipur, Aug 23: At least 27 persons were killed and several rendered homeless in the heavy rains that lashed Rajasthan in the past two days as authorities undertook large-scale relief work to mitigate the suffering of the affected people.
The death toll which was 14 earlier was revised to 27 by this evening on the basis of detailed reports sent by district collectors to the state government.
“27 people have died in rain-related incidents across the state,” Chief Secretary C K Mathew told PTI. Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva visited a relief camp in rain-affected Muhana area of the district today and interacted with people there.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also reviewed the relief works at seven districts where record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday night threw normal life out of gear.
Official sources said that out of the total 27 who died in rain-related incidents on August 21 and 22, 10 died in Jaipur, four in Sikar, three in Bhilwara, two each in Alwar, Dausa and Dholpur and one each in Churu, Bharatpur, Jhunjhunu and Tonk.
The downpour from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning also inundated several colonies in Nahargarh, Galta Gate, Subhash Chowk, Bhatta Basti, Ramganj, Muhana and Jawahar Nagar areas of Jaipur.
Relief work is on in full swing with people being evacuated from water-logged low-lying areas and shifted to safer places.
“Twenty-one JCB machines and 45 water pumps have been installed in such areas to remove debris of damaged structures or displaced objects and to pump out accumulated rain water,” Additional District Collector Arun Garg said.
He said as many as 33,000 food packets have been distributed to people who have taken shelter in 19 relief camps in the district and those who have moved back to their houses but were unable to cook food.
Meanwhile, 11 teams, 10 headed by Rajasthan Administrative Service officers, have been formed to carry out a survey to assess the loss caused by the rain and three more teams may also be formed, official sources said.
Officials from Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC), Public Works Department, Revenue Department and Police are among members of the teams, the sources said.
Besides this, joint teams of JMC and medical department officials are conducting surveys in disease-prone areas.
State health minister A A Khan has directed officials to make proper arrangements for disease control in the wake of water-logging in several areas.
He also directed officials to keep the state-level and district-level control rooms for disease control operational round-the-clock.
