Maharashtra to seek Rs 6,813 cr flood aid from Centre

Mumbai, Aug 13 (IANS) Maharashtra would seek Rs 6,813 crore central aid to tackle the flood-induced crisis, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, here on Tuesday.

The proposal would be forwarded to the Centre soon, he said and added, till then the state would use its own corpus for the purpose. "A committee of experts will be set up shortly to recommend measures if the state again witnessed the kind of rainfall it received in the last four days," Fadnavis said.

The assistance would include Rs 4,708 crore for the worst-hit Sangli, Kolhapur and Satara districts, and Rs 2,105 crore for the coastal Konkan region, Nashik and other districts, he said.

On the Rs 4,708 crore relief measures, he said Rs 300 crore would be spent on helping families of flood victims, Rs 25 crore on relief works, Rs 27 crore on food, medicine and clothing of nearly 4.75 lakh people taking shelter at temporary camps, and around Rs 70 crore for the cleanup operation.

Rs 2,088 crore will be given to farmers towards crop damages, Rs 30 crore for loss of livestock, Rs 11 crore to fishermen, Rs 222 crore for repair of damaged houses, Rs 876 crore for restoring 147 big and small roads and 66 bridges.

Rs 168 crore would be spent on irrigation and water resources department works, Rs 75 crore on health initiatives, Rs 125 crore to repair educational institutions and resumption of water supply, Fadnavis said.

Rs 300 crore will be disbursed to small traders and businessmen for the losses suffered due to the flood. The Rs 2,105 crore would be spent in other regions, said the chief minister.

A cabinet sub-committee, headed by Fadnavis, will monitor the operation.

All the state ministers would donate their one month's salary to the CM Relief Fund.

Earlier, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had announced that all their legislators and MPs would donate a month's salary towards the flood relief. On Tuesday, the NCP said the party would donate Rs 50 lakh.

Bollywood actor-couple -- Ritesh Deshmukh and Genelia -- has donated Rs 25 lakh to the CM Relief Fund. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said he would donate Rs 50 lakh from his MP Fund.

Funds are also being provided by individuals, NGOs, religious trusts and social organisations. A huge quantity of aid materials has reached and more is en route from across Maharashtra.

At least 43 people were killed and nearly half a million affected and displaced following torrential rain and consequent floods that ravaged the district in south-west Maharashtra in the past 12 days.