Rescue, rehabilitation work in full swing in Bihar

Patna, Sep 5 : Relief and rescue work have been made available in every possible way by the Centre and other States for flood affected Bihar while the overall flood situation still remains grim even though it show signs of improvement.

Many railway stations in Bihar have been converted into flood relief camps. The concerns now are with regard to providing fodder for cattle and preventing the outbreak of epidemics.

Meanwhile, Centre has intensified flood relief efforts in Bihar on Thursday, the armed forces rushed 80 more divers and 50 boats to join the rescue mission.

While the navy sent 80 more divers from its three Command headquarters in Mumbai, Vishakapatnam and Kochi along with 25 rescue boats, the army chipped in with another 25 boats.

The men and their equipment were flown to Bihar by the Indian Air Force (IAF), government sources said.

Already, 37 army columns of about 5,000 men, 13 helicopters of the IAF and army, 599 boats from the navy and army, 783 National Disaster Relief Force personnel, 7,695 tents, 10 satellite phones, four lakh drinking water bottles, and 10 water purifying plants have been deployed and provided by the government for assisting the Bihar administration in the relief operations.

Meanwhile, Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries department sent 66 wagons-loads of dry fodder on rail from Amritsar and Karnal to Saharsa, which reached the state on Thursday.

Additional 41 wagon-load of fodder is being sent by Haryana to Purnea.

"The requirement of procurement of vaccines is being met through centrally-sponsored Scheme for Assistance to states for Control of Animal Diseases. The state has been asked to indicate the specific requirements of medicines and vaccines they need, apart from setting up 71 veterinary centres to treat sick livestock," sources said.

Navy has already sent 12-truck loads of ration weighing 120 tonnes, which would reach the state in a couple of days.

The Health Ministry is supplying two crore halogen tablets to purify water as per state government requirement, sources said.

Already 30 lakh tablets have reached the flood-affected areas.

Other medicines and medical stores such as measles vaccine, DPT, oral polio drops, vaccine logistics have been provided, they said.

On the request of the state government, the Centre is sending 100 fogging machines and 50 ambulances to Bihar, sources added.

ANI