PremiumMaharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was forced to cancel his visit to flood-hit Patan taluka in Satara district on Monday due to bad weather, a state government official said.
Thackeray was scheduled to to take a helicopter from Pune to Koynanagar and conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas. The chief minister was also supposed to meet people at the shelter camp at Koynanagar.
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.
An official in the Chief Minister's Office said, "Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray was on his way to visit the flood-affected areas of Satara district. However, his helicopter was unable to land at the Koyna helipad due to low visibility. It has hence returned to Pune Airport."
"Thackeray is scheduled to return to Mumbai as the tour has been cancelled due to inclement weather."
Ajit Pawar visits rain-hit villages in Sangli district
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, earlier in the day, toured various rain-hit villages in Sangli district. Pawar also interacted with the flood-affected people and assured them of rehabilitation and all help from the state government.
State Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar and Minister of State Vishwajeet Kadam accompanied Pawar during his visit to the flood-battered Bhilwadi and other areas of the district.
According to the district administration, Pawar will hold a review meeting after taking stock of the situation.
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.
Meanwhile, the water level of the Krishna river at Irwin bridge was at 52.11 feet at 11 am, as against the danger mark of 45 feet, an official said. The state government on Sunday said it has provided an emergency financial aid of ₹2 crore each to Raigad and Ratnagiri districts. Satara, Sangli, Pune, Kolhapur, Thane and Sindhudurg, also affected by rains, were provided with a financial aid of ₹50 lakh each.
(With inputs from agencies)
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