Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath on Saturday questioned the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government over its response to the current flood situation in the state, also cautioning it that “this is not the time to play politics.”
“How will the government assess the losses to pay compensation to those affected? How much will help will it provide? When will you repair the bridges that have been damaged, and when will you provide houses to those who have been rendered homeless due to the deluge?” Nath asked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime after conducting an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in Sheopur and visiting some other districts.
The senior Congress leader also accused the state government of only making a slew of announcements. “This is not the time to play politics. We are extending help, the Congress will continue to help,” Nath, who was interacting with the media, said.
Nath, who also heads the state Congress unit, further said, “I saw that 80% of the people were on their rooftops. Land and crops have suffered enormous damage due to the flood. The situation is “unprecedented” in the Gwalior and Chambal divisions.”
Earlier in the day, CM Chouhan claimed 8832 people have been rescued from flood-affected areas, while 29,280 people have been shifted to safer places.
According to government data, 1250 villages in north Madhya Pradesh have been affected by the deluge following heavy rains in the central state earlier this week. On Saturday, officials put the cumulative fatality count in rain-related incidents at 24. Gwalior, Shivpuri, Sheopur, Datia, Ashok Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Guna, Bhind and Morena were battered by heavy rains.
On Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued orange alert for five districts and yellow alerts for 12 districts. The alerts, IMD said, were valid till next morning.
(With PTI inputs)
