Monsoon Fury: PM Modi Speaks With Senior Ministers, Officials to Take Stock of Situation

As torrential rains wreaked havoc in north India for another day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke with senior ministers and officials to take stock of the situation while Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge sought relief from the PM CARES Fund for the rain-hit states.

Local administrations, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are working to ensure the well-being of those affected, the Prime Minister's Office said.

''PM @narendramodi spoke to senior ministers and officials, and took stock of the situation in the wake of excessive rainfall in parts of India. Local administrations, NDRF and SDRF teams are working to ensure the well-being of those affected,'' the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a tweet.

Several rivers in north India, including the Yamuna in Delhi, are in spate. In cities and towns across the region, many roads and residential areas are submerged in knee-deep water, with the civic system unable to hold on in the face of record rains on Sunday.

Twenty people stranded in Himachal Pradesh's tourist town of Manali were rescued but about 300 others were stranded across various parts of the hill state as heavy rain wreaked havoc for the third day on Monday.

The state is bracing for another day of downpours with the meteorological department issuing a ''red'' alert for ''extremely heavy rain'' on Monday, a day after heavy rain pounded the state, triggering landslides, damaging houses and leaving several people dead.

Officials said rail operations on the Shimla-Kalka route, a UNESCO world heritage site, have been suspended till Tuesday as landslides blocked the track at several places while educational institutions across the state were ordered to remain shut on Monday and Tuesday.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in a video released on Monday morning, appealed to the people to avoid venturing out in heavy rains, especially near rivers and nullahs, and remain vigilant for the next 24 hours as the Met department has warned of heavy rains to continue.

He also asked all the MLAs to stay in their respective constituencies and help the people in this hour of distress. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday asked the Centre to make available additional relief from the PM CARES Fund for states affected by the torrential rain pounding several parts of north India, including Himachal Pradesh.

A day after 19 people were killed in landslides and other rain-related incidents, the Congress president also spoke to Sukhu to express his concern.

''The death of several people in north India due to heavy rains is sad and painful. Have talked to the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh. Relief efforts in the state have picked up and every effort is being made despite bad weather, to take people affected by heavy rains to safer places,'' Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi.

He said teams of the State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force teams are doing this work.

Adequate compensation will be given to the victims and all possible help will be given to compensate for the loss of life and property, the Congress chief said.