Maharashtra monsoon mayhem: Death toll rises to 164, Ajit Pawar tours Sangli district

Mumbai, July 26: Heavy rainfall in states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh has triggered landslides and floods in many areas.

The death toll in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra rose to 164 on Monday after the recovery of 11 more bodies in Raigad and two each in Wardha and Akola, while 100 people were still missing, the state government said.

So far, 2,29,074 persons have been evacuated from the affected areas, the government said in a statement.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had to cancel his visit to the flood-hit Patan taluka in Satara district on Monday due to rough weather, an official said.

Thackeray was to take a helicopter from Pune to Koynanagar and conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas. He was also scheduled to meet the affected people at a shelter camp set up at a zilla parishad school in Koynanagar. An official in the Chief Minister''s Office said Thackeray is scheduled to return to Mumbai as the tour has been cancelled due to "inclement weather".

Heavy rains last week caused landslides at Ambeghar and Mirgaon villages of Patan taluka. So far, 41 people have died in Satara district, while 27 people are missing, according to the state government.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar toured various rain-hit villages in Sangli district on Monday and used a rescue boat to reach out to flood victims in some areas. He also interacted with the flood-affected people and assured them of rehabilitation and all help from the state government.'' On Sunday, the CM visited flood-ravaged Chiplun town in Ratnagiri district in the Konkan region, and interacted with residents, businessmen and shopkeepers.

He promised them all help from the state government to restore normalcy in the area. Thackeray had said they will require "central assistance for long-term mitigation measures" and a comprehensive data of the extent of damages will be prepared.