33 killed as rain lashes UP; alert till month end
CM YOGI ADITYANATH HAS DIRECTED OFFICIALS TO LAUNCH RESCUE WORK ON WAR FOOTING AND ASKED DMS OF AFFECTED AREAS TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION
LUCKNOW/AGRA/MUZAFFARNAGAR: Thirty-three people were killed and about two dozen were injured as heavy rain wreaked havoc in different parts of Uttar Pradesh, state relief commissioner Sanjay Kumar said on Friday.
The rain also caused the death of several animals besides damaging property worth lakhs.
Kumar said six deaths were reported from Agra, four from Mainpuri and three deaths each in Muzaffarnagar and Kasganj on Friday.
Two deaths each were reported Meerut and Bareilly while one death each was reported from 13 other districts, he added.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to launch relief and rescue work on war footing and asked district magistrates of the affected areas to immediately provide necessary compensation, according to the rules, in cases of a house collapse.
Directions were also issued for necessary steps to ensure proper treatment of the injured and the CM warned officials against any laxity in relief work.
The meteorological department (MET) office, meanwhile, said thundershowers were likely to continue at several places across the state.
The MET office said the southwest monsoon was “active” over east Uttar Pradesh and “vigorous” over the western part of the state causing moderate to heavy rain and thundershowers across most places.
According to officials, the amount of rainfall recorded in centimetres was: Mathura-19, Kasganj-18, Aligarh- 13, Gautam Baudh Nagar-10, Barabanki, Badaun, Saharanpur, Firozabad 9 each, Ravidas Nagar and Gorakhpur - 8 each.
The deaths reported from districts near Agra include those of three children killed in Sujanpur village (Sahawar tehsil) of Kasganj on Friday.
Life continued to remain paralysed in Agra although the rain was of lesser intensity on Friday compared to Thursday.
“Agra received average rainfall of 84 mm on Thursday and till noon on Friday, the average rainfall was 37 mm. Alert for rain is that it will continue till July 30 but intensity will decrease in days ahead,” stated RK Malpani, additional district magistrate (finance and revenue), who is supervising the rescue operation in the area.
“The death toll has risen to six in Agra district and after two more deaths on Friday,” said ADM Malpani.
“Compensation has been provided to the kin of the dead. Assessment is being carried out for cattle and property loss and treatment of injured is being ensured,” he said.
In Muzaffarnagar, heavy showers continued for the third day on Friday disrupting normal life. However, amidst the heavy rainfall, kanwarias started to arrive in the district even as a big kanwar rush is expected in the city over the next three days.