Flood situation grim in Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa

Kolkata/Bhubaneswar, June 20 (PTI) - Army personnel
Thursday rescued over 10,000 people in West Bengal's flood-hit
West Midnapore district as water levels of major rivers rose
alarmingly in Orissa while flash floods continued to hit
Jharkhand.

In Assam, with a slight let-up in the rains, floods
were on the wane in worst-hit Lakhimpur district but nearly
eight lakh people continued to be affected by the swirling
waters which have claimed 22 lives.

Army was deployed in Sabang, Pingla and Narayangarh
blocks of West Midnapore where three lakh people were marooned
due to floods, District Magistrate N.S. Nigam said.

So far four persons have died while over 10,000 people
have been rescued with many places remaining inaccessible.

In Kolkata, state Civil Defence Minister Srikumar
Mukherjee said 15 additional high speed boats have sent to the
flood-hit areas of East and West Midnapore districts for
relief work. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee held a
meeting with cabinet cooleagues and top officials and asked
them to take steps for the succour of flood-hit people.

In Orissa, relief and rescue operations were stepped
up with the help of Air Force choppers as over 850 villages
remained marooned. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik undertook an
aerial survey of flood-hit areas Thursday.

The worst hit were Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak and
Jajpur districts where water levels of rivers Subarnarekha,
Budhabalanga and Jalaka increased susbtantially and flash
floods were triggered by depression over Bay of Bengal.

In Jharkhand, about 2,500 people have been affected
due to flash floods that hit East Singhbhum and Sareikela-
Kharsawan districts as Chief Minister Madhu Koda made an
aerial survey of the affected areas Thursday.

Koda spoke to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
after three sluice gates of a dam had been opened in
Mayurbhanj causing flooding in the two districts. "I have
asked him to look into it. Before opening the sluice gates,
sufficient time should have be given to us for evacuation of
people," Koda said.

He said two companies of the army were assisting in
relief and rescue operation.

The swollen Subarnarekha in Orissa, which continued to
rise alarmingly, crossed the 13 m mark at Rajghat in Balasore
district -- well above the danger mark of 10.36 m. Other
rivers, including Jalaka, were also flowing above the danger
level.

In Mayurbhanj, four persons died in flood and rain-
related incidents, while five persons went missing in Balasore
district Wednesday.

The situation in the state can further worsen as Met
officials have forecast heavy to very heavy rains over north
Orissa and some parts of south Orissa.

In Assam, despite let-up in rains, Lakhimpur and
Dhemaji districts remained cut off from the rest of the
country due to a nine-metre deep breach on National Highway-52
at Ganesh Udyan.

In the two other flood-affected districts of Dibrugarh
and Sonitpur, major rivers including Brahmaputra, were
maintaining a falling trend.

The situation was also brought under control as the
North East Electric Power Corporation (N.E.E.P.C.O.)
controlled its water flow. Army and B.S.F. personnel were
continuing with their rescue operations in Lakhimpur, rescuing
over 25,000 people since the past three days using 70 boats.

Meanwhile, rail links between Kolkata and southern
India remained cut off for third day as flood waters damaged a
bridge between Narayangarh and Bakhrabad stations. PTI