Monsoon rain calculates huge loss in Tripura

Agartala, Jun 13 (UNI) Three days of incessant downpour have inundated large parts of Tripura, rendering about 5,000 families homeless and destroying agricultural crops during the harvesting season in vast areas of the state.

Police said landslides in Sonamura, western border of Tripura with Bangladesh, claimed one life yesterday while hundreds of houses were destroyed following heavy storm along the border.

According to an official report, 1,100 families in South Tripura, 2,490 families in West Tripura and about 2,000 others in North Tripura had taken shelter in makeshift relief camps, schools and panchayat community halls.

Agartala-Sabroom National Highway had been disrupted in few places due to floods.

Administration had instructed Sub-Divisional Magistrates of all the affected areas to provide relief to people. Massive damage is expected because of the continuing rain, official source said.

All the major rivers and their tributaries in Tripura are flowing above the danger mark and the state had recorded more than 1,000 mm in the past three days, while Agartala received about 238.4 mm rainfall, which submerged a large part of Agartala.

''We have not yet assessed the damage but it would run into crores of rupees, as there had been massive destruction of standing crops,'' said state agriculture department officials here.

UNI