Published 15:55 IST, September 26th 2019
Pune Rains: Sharad Pawar says 'Disaster Management in deep slumber'
NCP senior leader Sharad Pawar in a media statement on Thursday has alleged that the disaster management in Maharashtra was actually in ‘a deep slumber’.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) senior leader Sharad Pawar in a media statement given on Thursday has alleged that the disaster management in Maharashtra was in ‘a deep slumber’. His statements come after at least 12 people in Pune were killed in different incidents of wall collapses and flooding due to the ongoing heavy rains in the city.
Heavy flooding in Pune
Pune and its neighbouring districts have witnessed heavy flooding on Thursday. According to officials, six deaths were reported in city limits and others were reported from rural districts. Five people, including a nine-year-old boy, were killed in wall collapse incidents on Wednesday night in Arneshwar area which was flooded after heavy downpour, chief fire officer Prashant Ranpise said. Another death was reported from Sahakar Nagar while a body was also found inside a car in Sinhgad.
NCP leaders on Pune Floods
Another NCP leader Nawab Malik also alleged that the CM Devendra Fadnavis was only concerned about the upcoming elections. "The chief minister is so imbued with the BJP and polls that he sees nothing else...these people are not concerned about the crisis people are faced with. They are only worried about retaining power," Malik said. The NCP senior leader Ajit Pawar also urged the people to maintain caution given the situation and asked the chief minister to restore normalcy in parts of the district, where roads caved in and bridges got washed away.
Devendra Fadnavis assures assistance
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a media statement said, "Pune has received terrible rainfall, and due to this unprecedented rainfall, the low-lying areas of Pune have been flooded extremely which has caused tremendous loss. People have been washed away in the incident and due to wall collapse, a few people have died. Rivers flowing towards Baramati have been flooded by over 4 times of their usual water level. Around 15,000 people have been rescued from this danger," the Maharashtra CM said. The Chief Minister also informed about the rescue operations that are underway in Pune in a tweet.
(With inputs from PTI)
Updated 17:20 IST, September 26th 2019