Guj memo to Centre pegs flood damages at Rs 22,171 cr

Ahmedabad, Sep 9 (UNI) The Gujarat government has sent a detailed report with a region and sector-wise break up to the Central government, pegging the damages following the floods and rains at Rs 22,171.6 crore.

An official statement said here yesterday that the government had demanded a special package from the Centre for Gujarat owing to the extensive damage that the state has suffered. Surat alone accounts for damages to the tune of Rs 18,529.71 crore.

The government has proposed to reconstruct the entire embankment of Surat city to prevent recurrence of floods, it added.

The state received more than 80 per cent of its average annual rainfall in the past 72 hours. The rains had affected 43 per cent of the total geographical area in the state. Power, water supply and roads have been badly hit, which has put a heavy burden on the administrative machinery in Central and South Gujarat regions, the release said.

High alert had to be declared in 13 of the 25 districts, 40 lakh persons were evacuated, 1,907 relief camps were set up and hundreds of crores of rupees were paid to the affected during the various phases of the floods.

The memorandum also gives a sectoral break-up of the losses suffered by industry (Rs 16,280.71 crore), agriculture (Rs 1,955.74 crore), irrigation (Rs 837.25 crore) and roads and buildings (Rs 732.09 crore), the release added.

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