Central team to assess flood situation in UP

Lucknow, Aug 21 (UNI) A high-level team of central experts is slated to visit Uttar Pradesh this week to access flood situation in the state.

Accoring official sources here the 15-member team of joint secretary level would reach the state capital on August 23. ''The team would be divided into three sub groups and tour the affected areas for three days before presenting a report to the Union government,'' he said.

The official claimed that the team would also look into the demands of the state government to provide UP with a special package to make future arrangements to combat the annual menace.

Recently, Chief Minister Mayawati had demanded a Rs 2,200 crore special package from the Centre to handle the situation. She was to place the demand before the Prime Minister during his proposed visit to the state. But the PM's visit was postponed twice due to a variety of reasons.

The flood situation in Uttar Pradesh continued to be grim with rivers in eastern, central and western regions of the state in spate.

In the last 24 hours, three people drowned in Siddharthnagar district taking the toll in rainfall and flood-related incidents to 221 today. Prominent rivers Ganga, Ramganga, Ghaghra, Sharda and Behgul were swelling.

Over 2,000 villages in the flood-hit 20 districts, including Basti, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Gonda, Bahraich, Faizabad, Barabanki, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Jyotiba Phulenagar, Pilibhit and Bareilly were inundated.

Lakhs of hectares of land had been affected due to flood.

Release of about three lakh cusecs of water from Banbasa dam had worsened the situation in Pilibhit and Lakhimpur Kheri districts.

The traffic movement on the Gorakhpur-Sonauli national highway remained affected for the seventh consecutive day.

UNI