Mayawati expressed concern over grim flood situation; toll at 725

Lucknow, Aug 27 (UNI) Expressing concern over the flood situation in 21 districts of the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today said Rs 185 crore were released for relief and rescue work, of which Rs 85 crore had already been spent.

''As many as 3,691 villages were in the jaws of flood, which have taken the toll to 725 in the state,'' she told at a press conference here this afternoon.

The Chief Minister said that she had directed the Irrigation Minister and the Chief Secretary to have round the clock vigil on the flood situation and ensure relief operations in every flood-affected village of the state.

She said that the arrangements had been made to make available financial assistance to the family of each of the flood victims within 24 four hours.

The government has set up a total of 319 relief camps across the state and plied 3,792 boats to evacuate the affected people to safer places, while 178 medical teams were in place in the flood-hit areas.

A total of 5,697 persons have so far been evacuated by the state administration.

The state capital of Lucknow, along with Sitapur, Sultanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri and Ballia have been put under the hyper-sensitive category with other flood-hit districts including Bahraich, Balrampur, Barabanki, Gorakhpur, Kannauj, Deoria, Maharajganj, Rampur, Santkabirnagar, Farrukhabad, Shahajahanpur, Siddharthnagar, Unnao, Gonda, Azamagarh, Basti and Faizabad.

Ms Mayawati said the state government was also aware of the spread of vector-borne diseases in Kanpur Dehat district. The team of National Communicable Diseases Institute had already convened to make spot assessment of the situation and all corrective measures were being ensured, she added.

The medicines for viral fever, malaria and other ailments were being supplied adequately and there would be no dearth of medicines in this regard, the Chief Minister assured.

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